


The Blue Bikini

by dreamcatcher121



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, brief inuyasha/kikyo, brief kikyo bashing, inuyasha/OC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:24:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamcatcher121/pseuds/dreamcatcher121
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sesshomaru takes Rin to the beach for her birthday. What happens when Inuyasha's gang shows up, and Kagome is wearing something he's never seen before? What happens if he likes it more than he'd care to admit?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beaches, Bastards, Bikinis, Oh, My!

**Author's Note:**

> I am posting this here because I've posted pretty much everywhere else already. I wrote the first chapter in 2013 and I haven't ever gone back to edit it (There are a LOT of POV switches lol). I have 8 chapters done, which I will post immediately, but I'm only about 2,000 words into chapter 9 and I'm stuck. I've been stuck for almost two years now. I'm hoping that a fresh audience and feedback will clear my writer's block.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He hated the beach. The potent brine of the sea assaulted his delicate sense of smell and the miniscule grains of sand always seemed to find their way into his long hair. Under normal circumstances, he would never think to go to such a place, but Rin had wanted to. It was her birthday today; Or rather, the anniversary of the day he had revived her with Tenseiga. The child followed him unflinchingly and rarely asked for anything so as not to burden him. To that effect he had decided to grant her one wish. As he watched the waves crash at the shore before retreating again and sending their strong scent across the beach, he could not help but regret his decision a bit. However, as he looked at the girl chasing seagulls and laughing merrily, he decided to quell his personal feelings for the time being.

He was getting uncomfortably warm in his armor and kimono, so he decided to take both off; though he kept his hakama and still held his swords at his side. He figured that there was nothing around that was powerful enough to require his armor. He retired to the shade of a tree where the sand met the forest floor. There he watched his ward continue to chase the seagulls as his vassal, Jaken, shouted his displeasure to deaf ears. Two hours of swimming and chasing followed and things had started to calm down somewhat. He continued his silent vigil as Rin attempted to make a sand replication of his castle in the western lands. All of a sudden the steady breeze carried a series of unpleasant smells; the most unpleasant being the scent of his half-brother. He also noted the scents of the miko, slayer, kit, and monk that always seemed to travel with the half-breed. 'Wonderful,' he thought with deep resentment, 'there goes one the few moments of peace that are so rare for this Sesshomaru.' The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Outwardly of course he showed none of these emotions. Not wanting to ruin Rin's day, he decided to let things play out as it were.

Minutes later, the hanyou's traveling party came within sight as they walked along the stretch of beach. Inuyasha was dressed in his usual bright red clothing, but the monk, the slayer, and the miko were all in odd garments he had never seen before. The monk was dressed in short pants that cut off just past his knees and something similar to those strange tops the girl often wore; it had short sleeves and looked to be made of cotton. The slayer wore a simple tunic dress that covered the outline of a peculiar one piece undergarment. The miko was clad in a similar dress to the slayer, but did not have the same odd outline. He watched silently; the inu in him curious as to why they were dressed in such a manner. Once the group arrived at the shore, he masked his scent and aura. Rin and Jaken were asleep, so he left them alone in favor of seeing what would occur next.

His eyes widened marginally, which for him meant complete and utter shock. They were taking off their clothes! All of them except for his half-brother, that is. The monk removed the short sleeved top and the girls pulled their dresses over their heads. The strange outline from underneath the slayers dress appeared to be some sort of one piece underclothing. However, when his eyes slid over to the miko he nearly choked. She was barely wearing anything! The triangular pieces of cloth held together precariously with bits of string left nothing to the imagination. He had lain with women before, so the mere sight of her should not have been enough to faze him. In fact, he should have been disgusted by her lack of modesty. Yet, as he beheld the smooth curves of her body, he found himself entranced. The pieces of cloth she wore were a wicked torment; they showed just enough to entice him, and withheld just enough to make it unbearable. He could not withhold his beast's desire to rip apart those strings and see the treasures hidden from him.

Things only got worse when she entered the water. She and the slayer were splashing water at each other playfully, which caused the miko's breasts to bounce in the most delectable way. He could not believe he was feeling something akin to desire for the insignificant ningen onna. He continued to fight a losing battle with his beast in the hopes that this useless feeling would depart quickly. He knew it was a fruitless task when he watched the water drip down her body, leaving glistening trails behind. He wanted the miko.

~Kagome's POV~

(Returning to before they arrived at the beach)

Kagome was absolutely giddy with excitement! She had FINALLY convinced Inuyasha to give them a short break. They were going to go to the beach, so she went home to get some supplies. She brought a pair of her dads swim trunks and a t-shirt for Miroku. She had so many cute little bikinis that she wanted to take for her and Sango, but she also brought a one piece suit, keeping in mind the modesty of the feudal era. As expected, when she had shown the demon slayer the different bikinis, the woman paled. Miroku, upon seeing the bikinis, was sorely disappointed that he wouldn't get to see Sango's curves. When he said as much, he earned himself a red palm print painted on his cheek. When everyone but Inuyasha, who had "keh'd" when asked if he would like a pair of trunks as well, was changed, they all headed for the beach.

Inuyasha grumbled the whole way about the trip and how we "Shouldn't be wasting our time at the damn beach, when that bastard Naraku is still running around!" Kagome finally lost patience and sat him into a nice, Inuyasha-sized crater. After that he calmed down a bit, but he still didn't hesitate to voice his displeasure when the opportunity arose. As they neared the beach, Kagome got excited. The water looked beautiful; free as it was from modern day pollution. The steady breeze picked up a little, carrying with it the smells of the sand and sea. It relaxed her. There was something about the way the waves rolled into the shore, and the tiny grains of sand gave way beneath your feet. With the feeling of the sun on her face, she smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks. It was simply wonderful!

When they finally arrived at the shore, they started to take off everything but their swimsuits. Miroku looked good in the trunks, and the one piece hugged Sango's curves every bit as much as the tight body suit she always wore. Miroku sprung a nose bleed as he ogled her, which earned him another decisive slap across the face; though she would never admit it, the slayer was secretly pleased at the attention he paid her. However, when she revealed her suit, even Inuyasha's eyes widened considerably and his mouth was slack as he took in what she was wearing; or rather what she wasn't wearing. She had chosen a midnight blue bikini that seemed to bring out the darker blue in her eyes, while at the same time calling attention to the curves she had. 'I bet Kikyo doesn't own anything like this' she thought snidely. Lately Inuyasha seemed to never waste an opportunity to tell her all the ways Kikyo was better than her. It had caused her to have a slight inferiority complex about herself. She knew that most men would prefer Kikyo's willowy petite form to her more developed chest and wide hips. The fact that she still had a small waist did not comfort her when she was having these thoughts; it simply caused her more worry about her odd body proportions.

When she put on this particular bikini, however, she felt a confidence she had not known in quite a while. She enjoyed watching Inuyasha flounder for the words to speak. Not allowing him the chance to break her recently re-discovered confidence, she turned away from him and led Sango to the surf. She almost laughed at the confused expression her friend was making as she was pulled into the water. Confusion turned to shock as kagome sent a handful of water at the slayer. However, shock quickly changed to mirth as the woman caught onto Kagome's game. They spent the next ten minutes in all out splash warfare. Finally they both fell down in the surf, laughing and catching their breath. In the midst of their quest to defeat Naraku and gather the jewel shards, they had forgotten how to be normal people who laughed and had fun. Kagome had wanted this trip in order to help them remind themselves that they could still have a good time.

As she stood back up and helped Sango to her feet, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She spread out her aura to see if anyone besides their group was near. Sensing nothing, she put the feeling aside as paranoia. They continued to laugh and play as the day wore on. She had just finished helping Shippou build a sand castle, when the feeling of eyes on her came back with force. She glanced around, and that is when an overly energetic Rin bowled into her with an excited squeal. "Kagome-sama! Rin did not know you were here, or Rin would have come to play sooner!" she said happily. Kagome was surprised to say the least. "Riiiiin! I've told you not to run off! It is an inconvenience to Sesshomaru-sama!" a voice squawked. There was only one creature that could squawk like that, and that was Sesshomaru's retainer Jaken. She groaned internally. While she adored Rin, she had a hard time feeling happy in her adoptive father's presence.

Sure enough, Jaken came into view, still shouting at Rin, with Sesshomaru walking a little ways behind. That was when she got a good look at Sesshomaru. Her jaw fell open and she made an audible snort of disbelief. He was not wearing his usual full war regalia. In fact, he was not wearing anything but his hakama, and loosely at that. He was a stunning specimen of male if she did say so herself. He was not scrawny, but neither was he bulky with overdeveloped muscles. He was lean with toned biceps, triceps, and every other "-eps" there were. As he walked she could see the subtle ripple of his perfectly chiseled abdomen. She also noted the sinful "v" of his hip bones and the delicious way the hakama were hanging off of them. Magenta stripes that matched the ones on his cheek also ran along his delicate wrists and wrapped around his narrow waist. 'I wonder where else he has them' she wondered idly. 'KAMI, DID I JUST THINK THAT?!' she mentally screamed. 'Bad Kagome! He's not that hot… hell, who am I kidding, he's gorgeous' she sighed as she inwardly admitted defeat to herself. After she stopped drooling at him in her mind, she began to wonder why he was here and why she didn't sense such a powerful aura earlier. That was when she noticed that Inuyasha had Tetsusaiga drawn and was growling steadily. Apparently he was just as upset that he didn't sense his brother on the beach sooner.

"Inuyasha, let's see what he wants first" she said in a reasonable voice.

"The hell would we do that for? This bastard's always causing trouble for us" he said, with resentment deep in his tone.

"Inuyasha…" she began, the warning clear in her voice. "Keh" he scoffed, but he lowered Tetsusaiga.

"This Sesshomaru does believe that the only bastard here is you, half-breed" his brother said snidely as he approached the group.

"Just shut the hell up, asshole" Inuyasha replied lamely.

Rin chose that moment to let out an excited shriek. Everyone present turned to see what was going on and what they saw was equal parts cute and strange. Shippou had transformed into a giant pink balloon and was bouncing Rin up and down as she giggled and squealed in delight. Realizing the attention that they were receiving, Shippou quickly transformed back into his normal self and placed Rin on the ground with a deep red blush. 'Hmmm… I'll have to ask him if he has a crush on her later' Kagome thought to herself. "Anyways, why are you here Sesshomaru? You don't really seem like the fun in the sun type" she said, turning back to the shirtless god while trying to keep the drool in her mouth and the lust off her face.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

beast preened at the way the object of his attentions was looking at him. Though she was trying desperately to hide it, he could see desire in her clear blue eyes and he noted the telltale shift in her scent that further indicated her arousal. Now that he noticed it, her scent was not like most ningens. Ningens either smelled of filth or a potent combination of oils and perfumes. It was nauseating to say the least. However, she smelled clean; she smelled of Sakura blossoms and a soft spring wind. It was a pleasant scent and he couldn't help but wonder what it would smell like if it was mixed with his own scent. He put aside those thoughts in favor of taking in the heady scent of her arousal. When she became like this, it added a note of citrus to the sakura blossom and wind combination. While the majority of his mind was occupied by male pride, the lesser part recognized that she had asked a question and formulated a response. "It is Rin's birthday and she wished to go to this place" he said as he turned to look at his ward as she begged the fox kit to turn into a balloon and play with her again. As he faced her again, he noticed the faint look of surprise that flickered across her features. Whatever answer she had expected from him, this clearly was not it. She did not respond verbally to his statement, however, she simply continued to look at his face as if searching for something. He arched one perfectly sculpted eyebrow as he waited for her to say something.

It was then that she seemed to realize that she had been staring at him for the past few minutes. A rush of heat rose to her head as blood pooled beneath her cheeks and the most sumptuous blush crept across her face. He nearly growled as he imagined what else he could do to make her blush like that. His imagination really got out of hand when she began to chew on her soft bottom lip nervously with those dull ningen teeth. Oh, what he wanted to do with that perfectly luscious mouth; what he would give to hear his name being cried out from those lips as he gave her pleasure. As these thoughts passed through his mind, he fought desperately for control of his features. He was Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, and a Daiyoukai. He would not allow his perfect self control to be broken down by this little miko, no matter how desirable she was. "W-well that's n-nice" she managed to stammer out, with that cute little blush still painted across her cheeks. He allowed a smirk to settle on his lips as she fidgeted under his stare. "What the fuck are you two doing?" Inuyasha suddenly interrupted. 'Hmm… I had forgotten of the half-breed's presence' he thought, 'This miko is quite dangerous.' The fact that he, who was aware of everything always, had forgotten to be on his guard around his half-brother in favor of fantasizing about the girl proved as much.

~Kagome's POV~

'KAMI! I totally forgot that everybody was here' she thought frantically. 'THAT'S because you were too busy gawking at Sesshomaru to notice' she reprimanded herself.

"W-what are you talking about Inuyasha?" she got out between her thoughts.

"I'm talkin' about the way you guys have been fuckin' droolin' all over each other sinc-" Inuyasha began.

He never did finish that sentence, because as soon as he had gotten that much out Kagome had screeched, "SIT! SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

with a face redder than anyone present thought a human was capable of. Inuyasha was now at the bottom of a very deep hole that she had created, using his face. Soon she forgot about him though, because she then heard the most captivating sound she had ever heard. His voice was rich and deep, like melted chocolate or the amber of his eyes. He was laughing. Sesshomaru the ice prince was actually laughing. She felt like she could listen to the musical timbre of his laugh forever, but when he himself realized the attention he was receiving, his face closed off and his emotionless mask was in place once again. She was not the only one staring at him in shock. As soon as he had made the sound, he had the attention of everyone (with the exception of Inuyasha, who was still on the ground).

Miroku broke the silence first saying, "Did what I think just happened, really happen?"

Sango nodded slowly, and if her jaw had dropped any further, it would surely hit the floor. Kagome herself was still trying to remember how her brain worked.

"So the Daiyoukai of the West can laugh too. Who knew, eh?" Miroku continued, getting over his shock and chuckling with a grin on his face.

"Rin has never heard Sesshomaru-sama laugh before. This is the best birthday ever!" Rin said with a huge toothy smile.

The day wore on with much playing, laughing, and yes, even a little flirting until the last rays of sun dipped below the horizon in a brief explosion of amber and gold. The two groups decided to camp on the beach together. This was met with many protests from a certain hanyou and toad demon, but at the pleading of Rin and Shippou, both traveling parties set up camp. After a fire was lit and the sleeping arrangements were made, they all settled down for the night. Shippou curled up in her lap as he usually did, but this time Rin was with him. She usually sang Shippou to sleep before putting him to bed. This was because when they found him, he had lost his parents and often had nightmares about it. The nightmares were gone now, but it was still a habit for her to sing to him.

"Kagome is the best singer in the whoooole world!" Shippou whispered excitedly to Rin.

This of course caused Rin to look at her with huge awed eyes as she waited for kagome to begin. All of a sudden she was nervous. What if she didn't live up to the little girl's expectations? Then she looked at Shippou, who smiled at her so sweetly that she was reminded of why she had started doing it in the first place. Situating them so that they were both lying with their heads in her lap, she began to sing in a sweet and clear voice:

Fate has been cruel,

And the world unkind,

But fret not dear child tonight,

For fate also brought,

You next to me,

In a world full of silver moonlight,

Through any darkness,

I'll sing you a song,

So rest dear child safe in my keep,

Till your tired eyes,

And my lullabies,

Have carried you softly to sleep,

And may my song,

Bring you sweet dreams,

As you sleep dear child this night,

But should you have fear,

Know when you awake,

I'll be there holding you tight.

She ended her song and looked at the two sleeping faces before her. Carefully, she moved them off of her lap and onto their beds. After giving each a kiss above their brow, she finally laid down herself.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

When she began to sing, he immediately was pulled into consciousness. He became utterly entranced by her. He had never heard anything like it before. In fact, he could not stand most human voices, as they were often loud and unpleasant. However, her voice was as clear as water from a fresh spring and as sweet and smooth as warm honey. Listening to her felt like taking a warm bath; it was soothing and one could not help but relax. When she stopped, he was sorely disappointed. He kept his ears open in the hopes that she would start to sing again, but sadly she did not. He heard her carry the two children and put them to bed, and after giving each a kiss, she laid down as well.

He listened to her heartbeat and the sound of her even breaths as she started to fall deeper into sleep. He wondered if it was at all possible for someone to change their heart completely in one day. It certainly seemed as if he did. The miko made him laugh, made him lust, and made it completely impossible to him focus because the majority of his brain could not stop thinking about her. And it all started with that damned "bikini" as she termed it.

When he heard movement, he woke at once. He sniffed t the air and realized that it was Kagome. With the way the moon was positioned, he could tell that it was about two hours before dawn. He was curious as to why she would be awake at this time, when he heard her leave camp. He waited until she would no longer be able to hear him get up, and then moved to follow her. As he watched her from the shadows of the trees, he was surprised to find her standing in the surf. The wind blew quietly through her hair as if it was the caress of a lover, and on it he could smell her lovely scent. She began to sing softly to herself, and his ears were attuned to her voice. In the last light of the full moon, she looked like an unearthly creature. The pale moonbeams illuminated her skin and made her hair shine with its darkness. He found himself pulled to her as she sang her siren song. Without her noticing, he came and wrapped his arms around her.

~Kagome's POV~

"What are you doing to this Sesshomaru?" a deep voice whispered in her ear as a large pair of arms encircled her waist.

'eh? EH?!' she thought frantically. Why would Sesshomaru be holding her, and did he whisper something like that to her? It had to be a joke, or some sort of ploy to get her to react so he could tease her later. But as she felt his hot breath blowing softly on her neck, she was feeling very willing to let this joke play out.

"S-Sesshomaru?" she whispered back in a shaky voice.

She turned to face him with question in her eyes and gasped as his mouth crushed hers in a searing kiss. Her mind went blank as he set fire to her body through his lips. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. She was dazed but she couldn't deny her disappointment at the absence of his lips.

As he looked at her he said, "I desire you Kagome. This Sesshomaru will not take you by force, for that is beneath me, however I will not let you go easily. This Sesshomaru will have what he wants."

She shivered at the rasp of his possessive tone and felt heat pool in her core as she thought of what he offered with his words.

Without thinking further, she lifted her arms around his neck and said in the most seductive whisper she could manage, "Have me then." She let herself fall deeper into his arms as he pulled her mouth to his once more.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

She tasted divine. He ran his tongue across her lips, trying to entice her to deepen the kiss. When she gasped, he took the opportunity to enter her mouth. He growled in pleasure as she tentatively explored his fangs with her tongue. He took her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged with just enough force to avoid drawing blood. When her arousal spiked he smirked in sadistic satisfaction. 'So the lady likes it rough, hm? I am certainly willing to oblige' he thought to himself. He allowed her a moment to catch her breath as he kissed along her jaw line and up towards her ear. He proceeded to lick the shell of her delicate little ear, biting the lobe lightly and enjoying the cute pants and moans leaving the lips of the miko tucked in his arms. Wanting to taste her once more he returned to her mouth. She opened it invitingly when he touched his lips to hers once more and he took the invitation. He ran his tongue on the underside of hers and she sighed into his mouth, sending that deliciously intoxicating scent straight to his brain. He faintly recognized the lightening of the sky as they kissed, but paid it no mind. He focused on what drew out those sexy little moans and continued to do them. He noticed that she particularly liked it when he would scrape his claws lightly down her sensitive back; and also the way he played with her tongue by licking and sucking it in her mouth. His eyes were tinged red with the desire she brought from within him, and he had no intentions of stopping with just a few kisses. He broke their kiss for a second time, but was nowhere close to finished. He let his fangs graze lightly over her neck before he continued a downward trail of nips and licks. He was past her collarbone and oh so close to tasting those perfect breasts when two small projectiles launched into him from the side.

~Kagome's POV~

Oh KAMI he was good! She was helpless to do anything but moan at the sensations he was bringing her. His claws had been roaming all over her sensitive skin beneath her uniform and he had just begun to caress her with his mouth, when two things flashed by and crashed into him. He did not budge of course, and when they began to move, that is when the both of them realized that the objects were Rin and Shippou.

"Please don't hurt Kagome-sama, Sesshomaru-sama!" the little girl cried as she tugged on one of the arms holding her to Sesshomaru.

"Yeah, stop hurting her!" Shippou wailed as he fought to pull the other arm.

Sesshomaru and Kagome stared at each other in shock, their moment completely forgotten for now. And then a thought struck her. 'Oh… they must have heard my moans and saw Sesshomaru using his claws and fangs, and thought that he was hurting me!' she concluded. When she thought about how what he had been doing was the exact opposite of that, she couldn't help the giggle that erupted from her lips. Sesshomaru began to laugh as well as he came to the same conclusion, and the mixture of her bell like laughter and his deep, throaty chuckle confused the children that had come to save her.

"This Sesshomaru has not harmed Kagome" he said to the two.

They both looked to her for verification and she smiled warmly at them.

"I'm fine guys. Sesshomaru didn't do anything to hurt me" she reassured the two children.

"Then why did Kagome-sama sound like she was in pain?" Rin asked with puzzlement in her large brown eyes.

Kagome almost choked; how was she supposed to explain to two young kids that she had almost given her virginity to the demon lord that had tried to kill her before, on a beach. No WAY was she going to do that. Suddenly she had an idea. Sesshomaru, who was suffering the same sort of brain malfunction, was completely unaware of her next move.

"How about Sesshomaru explains it to you?" she said in a cheery voice.

At that, Sesshomaru's head whipped around to look at her. She had to suppress a giggle as well as an evil smirk as she saw the dread in his eyes, which she had discovered were the only part of his face that betrayed emotion. Once she was at the camp, she let loose the laugh she had been holding in as she thought about Sesshomaru explaining the birds and the bees to Rin and Shippou.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

What a sly woman she was. Now the two of them were looking expectantly at him and he was at a loss for one of the first moments in his long life.

"This Sesshomaru was… playing with Kagome" he said finally.

"Oh! Like when Kagome plays the tickle monster game with me?" Shippou asked.

"Indeed" Sesshomaru replied in relief, while not quite knowing what the "tickle monster game" was exactly.Both children nodded in understanding.

"Rin is sorry for yelling at Sesshomaru-sama" his ward said to him with sad eyes.

He patted the small child's head to reassure her he was not mad at her for trying to protect Kagome.

"You are forgiven" he said, "Now go play with the fox kit elsewhere."

"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama!" she said before taking Shippou by the hand and running off towards the tide pools that were a little ways away.

Now that he wasn't occupied with the task of explaining what the children saw, he was left to his own thoughts. 'Damn!' he thought, 'I was nearly ready to take her before they showed up.' Sesshomaru wasn't sure if he should curse their timing or be grateful for it. He knew that he had not been in control entirely, and if he had taken her, he might not have been able to stop his beast from taking over and giving her a mating mark. No matter what he wanted, he couldn't simply mate her out of lust; even he wasn't cruel enough for something such as that. The more he thought about it the more he was thankful for the interruption.

Youkai courts were no place for humans. Look at what had happened with his father and Inuyasha's mother; after he mated her challenges to his right as alpha cropped up every day. His body could not handle the strain of taking on both his challengers and hers, so when the final fight came, he died to protect her and Inuyasha. Izayoi had not been strong. She had been a ningen princess that father fell in love with for her looks and kind gentleness. And how could a ningen woman stand up to all the youkai female challengers? She could not; and his father had died for it. He would not make the same mistakes. When he chose a mate it would be for her loyalty, honor, and undeniable strength. No one of his bloodline would ever be called weak, and no one would dare challenge his authority as alpha or his mate's. And yet as he watched her look for the jewel shards and deal with his idiotic half brother, he could not help but see the loyalty, honor, and strength within her. That is not to say he would take her as a mate, for he had not changed his views so much that he could do such a thing. He simply acknowledged that she was not the dirt that he considered most ningens to be. Had she been youkai he would have mated her on the spot; it was a shame that she had been born to the weak race of humans. He found himself wondering if there was a way to remedy her humanity. 'If there is, I will not let anything stop me from obtaining it' he thought. The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became.

~Kagome's POV~

It was getting uncomfortable to say the least. Everywhere she went she felt his eyes on her. Whenever their eyes would meet she would blush to the roots of her hair, and the almost indiscernible smirk that appeared on his face when she did was almost too much! Even worse than that, Inuyasha kept glaring at her. He obviously knew that Sesshomaru hadn't been playing the "tickle monster game" with her, as the children were led to believe. Even as a half inu youkai, his sense of smell was powerful. Surely he would smell Sesshomaru's scent all over her, along with the lingering tang of her arousal, and he was not so naïve as to not know what that meant. Though the more she thought about it, the more his anger didn't make sense! He would sneak off to Kikyo all the time, coming back with the scent of clay and graveyard soil, and she always kept her thoughts to herself and off her face. Why shouldn't she be able to hook up with someone that wouldn't look at her and see a dead woman? Why was it that he got the best of both worlds, while she was left with nothing? It just wasn't FAIR! Fuming, she decided that she should go take a bath in a hot spring they had found about a five minute walk away.

"Where the hell are you goin'?" Inuyasha said, with a scowl on his face.

"I'm going to take a bath. Any more questions mother?" she snapped back.

"Keh" he scoffed before jumping up into a nearby tree.

She practically stomped her way to the hot spring, cursing Inuyasha every time she tripped, and by the time she got there she was mad as anything at the hanyou.

Sinking into the warm water, she finally relaxed. As the time wore on, she became happier little by little. She was lightly humming to herself as she dried her hair, when she felt the aura of a youkai. She dropped her towel as she lunged for her quiver and bow. With an arrow quickly notched, she turned to face the direction of the approaching demon. When it was close enough she sensed that it had a jewel shard. Standing her ground she waited for it to come into the clearing. She did not have to wait long, because a huge lizard youkai soon burst through the trees.

"Where isssss it?" the thing hissed.

It was probably looking for the shard she carried around her neck, but she'd be damned before she handed it over. From her spot in the bushes, she fired an arrow before it could pin point where she was. It hit its target in one of its large red eyes, blazing with the pink light of her purification. The demon screeched in surprised pain as it looked wildly for her with its remaining eye. In its confusion she fired another arrow. This one hit the other eye and caused the youkai to shriek as it fell to the forest floor, writhing in agony. When it pulled both arrows out its eyes were dripping red as if it were crying tears of blood. The youkai's face contorted in rage as it addressed its attacker.

"If you were ssssmart, you would have masked your presence. Now that I know you are here, I will repay you tenfold for thissss inssssult. Just becausssse I cannot ssssee you, doessss not mean I cannot find you. I can ssssmell you ningen, and ssssoon my poisssson shall eat away at your flesh and I will take the shard of the Shikon no Tama"it said as it rose from the ground.

Suddenly the bush she was hiding behind melted away in a pool of sickly green liquid. She cried out in surprise but turned around to face her foe head on.

That is, she would have, had she not tripped over the root of a nearby tree. She hit the forest floor with a thud and her bow was thrown off to the side. She let out a groan as she tried to move her ankle and found that it was twisted. She sat up as best she could and began to drag her way towards the fallen bow. She almost made it before a searing pain shot through her entire body. The youkai had been amused with her efforts to reclaim the bow, so once she was just within arm's reach, he spat a bit of his venom at her side. The screams the action had brought from her lips were music to its ears and it began to hiss in a manner of laughter. Kagome could barely register this as the poison made its way through her system, making her see spots in her vision. She could feel her miko powers battling the poison, but she knew it would not be enough.

"Inu…yasha" she whispered, praying that now of all times he would save her.

"INUYASHAAAA!" she screamed desperately.

"Your little hanyou protector isssss nowhere to be found it sssseemssss" the lizard demon said in a mocking voice, "Will he even be ssssaddened your abssssence?"

She felt like she was dying. She would die here alone, for Inuyasha had not come for her. When she looked up with pain blurred eyes and saw a Soul Collector making its way through the sky, her heart shattered. The reason he had not come for her, the reason she would die alone was because he was busy. He was with Kikyo. All of her emotions for the hanyou went cold in that moment. In that same moment, a fire began to burn within her. She felt it build up inside of her until she was sure she was the center of a brilliant inferno. Her eyes ignited with the righteous flames of her pure anger and her mind became as calm and smooth as a lake of glass. In that one moment, she saw with absolute clarity her mistakes. For so long she had wondered why she could not be more powerful. She tried and tried harder to become more like the legendary priestess Kikyo was said to be; and in that, she began to lose herself. She came to like Inuyasha despite his uncouth behavior, yet he too preferred the real Kikyo despite her being dead. Even then, she promised to stay by his side. She began to hide so far behind her façade of happiness, that her true feelings became hidden deep within her. But that was then. In her current state she realized that she was not weak, they had made her weak. She had believed so deeply in the lie of her helplessness, that she truly became helpless. Now she stood, with no feelings of inferiority to hold her back, and knew herself to be changed. All of these thoughts and self discoveries happened in a single second. When she rose and faced the lizard demon, she was no longer just Kagome, but rather something more.

~Lizard Demon's POV~

How wonderful the look of utter despair was. How lovely the salty scent of tears, and the sharp tang of blood. He relished the destruction of the little miko before him, and would soon have the power of two shards to become even greater. He was about to finish her off, and was debating whether or not to do it slowly when he noticed something strange about her body. Around her body was a slight pink glow that seemed to be getting stronger. He neared her curiously and hissed in pain as her aura stung him. What was happening? He had felt the extent of her powers when she shot his eyes and she was not enough to defeat him on her own. And in her current state, she should not still be conscious enough to maintain a barrier. Yet he watched in disbelief as she even began to move. The pink glow surrounding her became a veritable inferno as she rose to her feet. He was starting to feel a bit nervous as he watched her stand; there was no scent of fear on her as she stood before him.

"So you believe me weak? So weak that I could not possibly win without his help?" she said, her voice magnified by power.

She opened her eyes in a glare and he hissed in surprise. Her eyes glowed with the same pink fire that surrounded her being, and there was no longer any discernible iris or pupil, just that unbelievable power.

"Well what do you think of me now? Do I lack power? Do I need to be saved?" she said as she let her aura flare out, "Tell me of my weakness now."

He was completely smothered by his own fear now as he looked at the powerful miko taking the place of the pitiful one. He tried to run, but after he had taken two steps, he knew no more.

~Kagome's POV~

She almost felt like laughing at the crazy power flowing through her body. It had felt like letting out a long held in breath. Except she had not known she'd been holding it! She had realized that every time Inuyasha had saved her, he had also hurt her. If he had shown up, she would still be prisoner to her feelings for him and would have been denied the chance to discover her own strength yet again. She almost thanked Inuyasha, almost. Her senses were heightened and she could smell the fear rolling off the lizard demon in waves. She wondered idly if this is what it was like to be a youkai. If it was, she could finally understand why Inuyasha wanted to be a full one so badly. While she had been thinking about this, the lizard had decided to run. Without even thinking about it, she lashed out her aura, and watched as it wrapped around him in a deadly cocoon. He was purified instantly and she was surprised at just how easy it was. She glanced up and saw another soul creature float by, and this time she took off to follow it. Her newfound power allowed her to easily keep pace with the flying youkai. After about ten minutes she landed just before a clearing. She masked her scent and aura in order to walk to the edge of the clearing without being noticed. What she saw there would have made the old Kagome run away and cry, but the new Kagome simply smirked. Inuyasha had Kikyo pinned to the forest floor as he ravaged her mouth and his hands explored her body. Kagome casually walked up to the oblivious couple and sat at their level.

"So this is where necrophilia began…" she said.

At that very second Kagome was sorely disappointed not to have her camera with her. For if she had carried it with her, she could have captured the most spectacular expression of shock she had ever seen, which currently sat upon the stunned hanyou's face.

"K-k-ka-ka-KAGOME!" he stuttered as he immediately sat up from his compromising position.

"Hey there!" she said in an overly cheerful voice.

Inuyasha had confusion written all over his face at her tone. Usually if she had caught them like this, hurt would show in her eyes and he would be able to smell the slight salt of her forming tears; but he smelled no salt and could detect no despair in her aura.

"So I went to take a bath, where I was viciously attacked by a lizard youkai with a jewel shard" she said in an almost nonchalant tone.

When he registered her words he jumped up and sniffed the air for any sign of danger.

At his actions she laughed and said, "Oh don't bother getting all protective now… I was close enough to death to taste it before my powers saved me. I called for you, but I guess you were - busy."

By the end of that sentence her voice had taken on a deadly edge. With her new senses she could smell the guilt radiating off of him as well as the suffocating scent of clay, death, and graveyard dirt that always seemed to hang around Kikyo. Seriously, she wondered how his sensitive nose could stand it when she herself was fighting her gag reflex.

"I just dropped by to tell you that you won't have to worry about me getting in the way of your little corpse romance anymore. You were only ever holding me back from reaching my true potential anyways. So have fun with the dead chick 'kay?" she said before turning around and following her nose back to their camp on the beach.

Inuyasha was speechless. He had absolutely no clue what had just happened, but he could not help feeling as if he had lost something.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He smelled the change in her before she came in to view. Where before she only hinted at power, now strength flowed from her aura and caused her sweet scent to have a slight charge beneath it. His beast growled its approval at the change and he too agreed that the power she now displayed was enticing. But as he sniffed the air once more, he could not help but wonder at the other difference he smelled. She no longer smelled entirely human. She smelled as youkai smelled; she smelled of power. Yet he could still scent mortality on her. It was truly puzzling, but he could not help thinking of the possibilities it presented. If she was indeed as strong as his senses indicated (and his senses were never wrong), then he could accept her as a mate without disgracing his line. If he mated her, her lifespan would grow to match his and her strength would ensure him strong pups. He had interesting theories on how her miko powers would affect this matter, but he was certain she could produce full blooded youkai pups. This combined with her spiritual powers made him wonder if his any of his pups would inherit them. He could see their power now in his mind, and he wanted it to be reality. In that moment all of his thoughts focused on how to get the miko to agree to be his mate. He did not anticipate difficulty for he did not find himself lacking in any category. However, her attachment to his idiot of a half-brother could prove to be an obstacle. She sauntered into camp with a lithe grace that had not been present before, and he could not contain his damned inu curiosity.

"What has happened to you, miko? You seem different to this Sesshomaru…" he asked in a low voice.

When she walked up to him she teased him by running a single finger down his bare chest.

"Is it a bad different?" she asked back with a playful glint in her cerulean eyes.

He caught her hand and lightly nipped the offending finger before whispering back in a rumbling tone, "Not at all."

He watched as she blushed and turned to sit on the futon she called a sleeping bag. Before she sat down he caught her by the waist and gave her neck an affectionate nuzzle before setting her down. A moment later, everyone returned to the campsite including the still confused hanyou. He watched as she prepared meals for everyone and smelled no hurt or lingering resentment in her scent.

He knew that Inuyasha had gone to see the dead priestess and also knew that Kagome was aware of that fact, but he did not sense any feeling of sadness from her. It was like she did not care at all. He grinned inwardly. 'Maybe it will not be as hard to convince her as I previously assumed' he thought to himself. He glanced around at the group eating before him and decided to make an announcement.

"I will be returning to the Western Lands with Rin and the miko" he stated.

"Well it's about damn tim- wait, WHAT?!" the idiot hanyou sputtered as he choked on the ramen he was eating.

"This Sesshomaru does not repeat himself half-breed" he said coldly.

"Like hell! You're not takin' Kagome ANYWHERE, she's mine!" Inuyasha spat, jumping to his feet.

Sesshomaru growled at the challenge, but was cut off by a different snarl. Kagome had also gotten to her feet and was letting her aura flare out in response to his words.

"How dare you. I'm not your ANYTHING!" she growled out.

His beast purred at her strength. 

'She will make a fine mate. The miko is strong and she matches us well' his beast said in his mind.

Sesshomaru could not help but agree as she fiercely defended herself to the hanyou's claim. Inuyasha was cowed by the immense pressure of her aura and his ears were laid back against his skull as his beast recognized that she was stronger, even if his mind did not. Deciding to get back to the matter at hand, he turned to her.

"Kagome, will you return with this Sesshomaru or not? I will train you and you will be able to finish your quest along with me" he said to her.

She looked to him with surprised eyes. She was confused at his request but was not against it either. She looked again at Inuyasha and seemed to make a decision.

Turning back to him she asked, "May I take Shippou with me?"

"Hn" he allowed.

It would do Rin well to have a playmate her age anyways. She brightened up and turned to her other friends. Looking to Sango first she held out her arms.

The two embraced and he heard Kagome say, "You know why I have to leave right?"

The slayer hugged her tighter and said back, "But I still wish you didn't have to go."

They held each other while both holding back tears until Kagome leaned back in order to continue her goodbyes. Miroku was next in line and as they hugged, his forever roaming hands were for once at bay.

She released him with a stern "You treat my Sango right or I will make sure you are the first monk to go to hell".

When she finally looked at Inuyasha, the tears she had been holding in finally spilled over. She embraced him as well and said, "You will always be my friend, but I will never settle for being a replacement." He nodded mutely because for once there were no words he could say.

The next few hours were spent packing up camp and having as much fun as possible before they parted ways. When it was finally time to leave, everyone had come to terms with the decision. As the four left the beach behind, Sesshomaru thought that it was lucky Rin had chosen the beach. He would soon have a beautiful mate and powerful heirs, but there was one thing he could not forget.

Pulling Kagome close to his side he leaned down to whisper lightly in her ear, "I do hope you packed that 'bikini' for this Sesshomaru intends to see it again in a more- intimate setting."

He enjoyed the blush that spread across her cheeks as she muttered, "Hentai." As the sun set and they left the beach far behind, he could not help the small smile that planted itself upon his usually stoic features. He knew his life would not lack excitement in the future, and looked forward to experiencing it all with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I haven't edited it. so don't be TOO harsh lol
> 
> Credits: lullaby was inspired by the first portion of "Lullaby for a Princess" by Ponyphonic. (YouTube it, it's so pretty!)


	2. The Mating Mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am re reading this as well and I am just laughing at how many POV switches there are.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He was propped up against a large tree with one hand resting on his swords, and the other on his knee. They had been traveling back to his castle when Rin had spotted this area and begged to be brought here. It was a very large clearing closed in by a ring of trees. The clearing was a carpet of soft, lush grass covered completely with flowers. Kagome and Rin then spent a few moments making various adornments with the flowers. With wreaths of flowers in their hair and loops of flowers around their wrists and ankles, the two began a game of chase around the field. Shippou joined in and soon all three were running and laughing. Sesshomaru sat transfixed by the ethereal picture as sunlight fell across her face and lit up her azure eyes.

'What an enchanting creature' he thought to himself. His beast rumbled in approval. When his Kagome looked up and noticed him watching her, she whispered something to Rin. Rin nodded her head vigorously with a wide grin and the two began to talk quietly. Shippou would run around picking flowers before dropping his bounty into their laps. He admitted that he was at least a little bit curious as to what they were doing, but not enough to ask. Several minutes later Kagome was walking over to him. She held her hands behind her back and he admired the gracefulness of her light steps. When she reached his space beneath the tree, she sank to her knees. One silver eyebrow arched in question as she continued to move closer. When she seated herself in his lap, Sesshomaru's eyes widened fractionally and his beast growled his appreciation.

He noted the decidedly playful look in her eyes as he waited for her to explain her actions. She leaned in until her clear blue eyes were mere breaths away from his warm amber ones. She came ever so slowly closer, until all of a sudden he found himself in complete shock. She had put flowers in his hair! The great Daiyoukai of the West, the Killing Perfection was now wearing a flower wreath of his own. He growled questioningly and she laughed before pulling him in for a kiss.

~Kagome's POV~

He tasted like a summer storm, dangerous with a hint of something sweet. She sighed at the warm feeling of the kiss and he took advantage of her open mouth. Tongues slid together in an intimate dance and Kagome could feel the heat begin to grow within her. When she heard the sounds of the children coming near, she reluctantly pulled away. When she looked into Sesshomaru's eyes, there were dark and smoldering with desire.

"Later" he rumbled in a deep voice that was rough with his want.

The intensity of his gaze was such that she thought she would drown in the amber of his eyes as her stomach coiled in anticipation.

It was then that Rin jumped into the space they shared holding a flower chain of her own. She hesitantly reached out to Sesshomaru, afraid that he would reject her. Without a word, he lowered his head slightly towards her. Giggling with a toothy smile, Rin placed her flowers on his head. She smiled at the girl's happiness and could not help a giggle of her own upon seeing the Daiyoukai Sesshomaru wearing not one, but TWO flower wreaths in his hair.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

Sesshomaru was utterly entranced by the sound of her laughter. In any other situation, he would not have hesitated to cut down anyone who dared laugh at him. However, he found that even being the object of ridicule was not so bad if he could hear such a clear bell-like sound fall from those full lips. 'She is a very dangerous creature indeed to make me think such things' he thought to himself. When she noticed him staring, she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing anymore. He immediately focused on that lip, remembering the feel of it as they moved together in a sensual battle for dominance; the softness of the skin under his fangs as he won and the sound of her breathless moans. Sesshomaru's eyes darkened to a smoldering shade of amber as these thoughts passed through his mind.

All of a sudden, a large pair of brown doe eyes took up his field of vision.

"Sesshomaru-sama? Are you mad at Rin?" the small girl asked hesitantly.

"No Rin, this Sesshomaru was simply in thought" he replied, setting her at ease.

"However, we will be departing now. You may have a few minutes to prepare yourselves" he said.

Shippou and Rin looked disappointed to be leaving the small paradise, but a quick word from Kagome and a promise of a reward later on got them up and moving. This was all well because Sesshomaru wished to return to his lands as quickly as possible. His Beast was also getting restless…

'We must take the Miko and Mark her as our own' his Beast growled.

'We must wait until she is ready' he replied, though he was also impatient.

'The Miko IS ready… We smelled the arousal in her scent. The Miko WANTS us. Why must we wait?!' his Beast raged, while simultaneously being pleased that their intended found them arousing.

'Do NOT forget your place!' Sesshomaru internally growled, 'This Sesshomaru remains in control, therefore if I say we will wait, we WILL wait.'

His Beast calmed down after that and remained silent. However, Sesshomaru could not help but agree. That is why they needed to quickly return. He growled when he thought about the pleasures that would await him upon their arrival.

~Kagome's POV~

She had noticed the change in his eyes, but unlike what Rin had thought, she knew that the expression was not one of anger. It had been pure lust. Sensuality emanated from his ivory skin in intense waves. If Rin had not interrupted their eye contact, she was fairly sure she would have fallen apart under his gaze. It was too powerful, HE was too powerful. She could practically smell the power pouring off of him, and that was while he was suppressing it. It drew her even more to him in her new form. Her heightened senses told her so many things her old ones could not. Now she could smell the subtle changes in his scent that indicated he was aroused. She could hear steady beat of his youkai heart and she could feel the slight tingle as her reiki mixed with his youki whenever she touched him. All in all it was an exhilarating effect to say the least.

Now they that they were traveling again, she took a moment to reflect on what had happened to her. She obviously had certain youkai traits, but to what extent? She didn't feel immortal, so that was probably out. (Although, what does immortality even feel like?) However, she did have all of the physical senses that youkai seemed to posses. As for features, when she had looked in a mirror earlier, the differences were small, but noticeable. Her face had lost a bit of its baby fat, giving her a more mature look. Her ears were now ever so slightly pointed, as were her teeth. Her hair was thicker, but not as easily tangled as before (A fact she was extremely excited about after years of daily wrestling matches with a comb). And lastly, her eyes seemed to be a complicated blue that was both brighter but deeper in color than before.

She was pleased with the changes overall, but she couldn't help the small insecurities that popped up in the back of her mind. Would Sesshomaru not find her as attractive as before now that she had changed? What had he even liked about her in the first place? After all, no matter how many youkai features she took on, she was still simply a ningen. 'No. Sesshomaru is not Inuyasha' she thought to herself. If he didn't like her he wouldn't bother with her and she would definitely not be on her way to his castle. However, even with the proof his nature provided her, years of insecurity had ingrained worthlessness into her head. She couldn't help but feel like any minute he would get tired of her and leave.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He had been watching her for a while now. It was a curious sight. She had gone from speculative, to hopeless, to angered, to relieved until finally her face seemed to settle on apprehension. He did not like the way her furrowed brows knit together to create a small divot between them. Though it did not mar her beauty, it seemed proof that something was troubling her. It angered him because it was a symbol of his cluelessness against an enemy he could not simply fight in order to vanquish. After waiting a short while and seeing no change in her features, Sesshomaru decided to do something he had never thought he would do in his entire immortal life. He would attempt to comfort another being.

She had been steadily falling behind the group, so he kept pace with her until the kids and Jaken were out of sight, but still within earshot. Then he cornered her.

~Kagome's POV~

She was still brooding over her inferiority complex when she found herself up against a tree trapped between two unyielding arms. She gasped and looked up into a pair of narrowed amber eyes.

"What troubles you Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked.

Hold up. Rewind What? Did Sesshomaru seriously ask about her well being? That had to be a rarity if not a first.

"Why am I here? Why do you even like me? I mean, no matter how I've changed, I'm still human and I make most of my decisions based on how I feel rather than thinking it through. On the other hand, you're perfect down to your freaking hair! It doesn't make sense for you to like me!" she answered in a burst of emotion.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He growled.

"Do you think this Sesshomaru would settle for anything less than the most worthy? I accompany you because you are powerful despite your humanity. Your ability to think with your heart only adds to your beauty" he said.

As he spoke, he pulled her to him in a manner he assumed to be comforting. As he held her he noticed, not for the first time, how well she fit into his embrace. His beast growled lustfully at the feel of her body flush against his and if he did not have such flawless control, he would have taken her right there. As it was he could smell her distress. He would not take her like this. When he took her it would be under much more desirable conditions and she would not be able to think of anything but him.

~Kagome's POV~

"Are you for real right now?" She asked with incredulity laced in her tone.

"This Sesshomaru is right in front of you. What reason do you have to doubt this Sesshomaru's reality?" he asked with a completely straight face.

Oh. Right. In the Feudal Era they didn't have phrases like that. The fact that he had taken it the way he did was to be expected, but she couldn't help but giggle at the confusion she knew he felt, but would never show. The small twitch in his eyebrow that appeared at her giggle didn't help and soon she was having a full on laugh attack in his arms. The more confused his eyes got the more funny it all seemed. When he let a small growl slip from his teeth, she tried her best to hold it in. She smiled her most winning smile and quickly gave him a chaste kiss to the lips.

"You were just too cute there, I had to" she explained.

"You were trying to make me feel better right?" she asked with a grin.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

"Cute?" he asked.

"This Sesshomaru is not cute" he said with all of the indignance of a man.

He was a warrior! A vicious monster as sleek and deadly as a blade. Such an image could certainly not be likened to bunnies, or any other small creatures associated with the word 'cute'. She put her small hands on each side of his head, presumably in order to gain his wandering attention. He looked into those deep blue eyes that seemed to draw out every emotion he had thought long dead.

"I'm sorry," she said, "You are a fearsome being with formidable skills. Definitely not cute."

She said this with the utmost seriousness, but he could see the mirth swimming in her azure gaze.

"Thank you for making me feel better" she continued with real seriousness this time.

He decided to uplift her mood once more as well as retaliate for the usage of the word 'cute'.

Leaning in until his lips were a breath away from her ears, he lowered his voice into a seductive whisper, "I know other ways to make you feel better as well."

He kissed her lightly around her mouth without touching her lips.

"Would you like for me to help you feel better?" he asked with lust dripping from every syllable.

He heard her sharp intake of breath and smirked, knowing that all joking was done and over with. He was unfamiliar with dealing with other people's feelings, but this he knew well. The subtle tang of citrus that settled over her scent like a fog was easily identifiable. Her arousal and the things that would please her were second nature to him. Caught up in these thoughts as he was, he almost did not hear it when she uttered a soft "yes".

He dipped his head in and caught her lips in a sensual embrace. His tongue slid along her bottom lip and grazed it with a fang. When she gasped, he took the opportunity to enter the warm cavern of her mouth. Their tongues engaged in a complicated dance with each trying to lead the other. After a time, Sesshomaru took control of the kiss and thoroughly tasted every part of her. They remained connected to each other this way for a little while before he pulled away.

"We are very close to arriving at my castle. If we do not stop now, I will not stop, and I am sure you would prefer a more private venue" he said with his tone making the last part a bit of a question.

~Kagome's POV~

When her kiss dazed brain processed what he had said, she felt the blush bloom on her cheeks and race towards the roots of her hair. She couldn't believe she had actually had a break down turned make out session with Sesshomaru. With the kids near by no less! And he kept alluding to the time when he would finally take her. If it wasn't with his words, it was with his actions. If it wasn't with his actions, it was in his eyes. Those eyes that spoke of dangerous fun. The amber depths that always seemed to follow her and darken with want when they met with her own blue eyes. 'Kami! I have gotta get my mind outta the gutter' she internally scolded herself when she was unable to suppress a shiver of pleasure at her own thoughts. They caught up to the kids and continued walking, but she still couldn't rid herself of the heat that had taken over her body at his touch.

~Inuyasha's POV~ 

The small group of Inuyasha, Kikyou, Miroku and Sango had been wandering around for a while. Although he knew that Kikyou was not really leading them anywhere, he refused to admit it or ask anybody else what they thought. He just kept walking. After Kagome had left with his asshole of a half-brother, they had been on an aimless search for more of the jewel shards. He had always told her that if it was Kikyou, she would be able to do it, but he also always knew it was a false statement. When he first met her, he knew right away that she was a different class of miko than Kikyou. So much raw power was stored up inside of her that he could smell it. But he wanted her to stay with him. If she knew that she could handle things without his help there would be no reason for her to stick around.

Now the thing he most didn't want to happen did and she ran off with his stupid half-brother. She had completely misunderstood him! The reason he always ran off to Kikyou was not because he loved her more, but rather because he loved Kagome so much. Since he was a hanyou, his demonic urges were rarely able to be controlled. Especially the times he went into heat. If he didn't get relief when he felt the first stirrings of his heat, he would end up losing control. Losing control would mean grabbing the nearest unmarked female of breeding age and fuck her senseless. And who was the nearest unmarked female of breeding age? Kagome. Sango was scent marked by Miroku, though neither of them knew about it. It was different for humans because they had no physical markings. Their version of marking was done through scent, but as humans can't smell their own natural scents for the most part, they carry on oblivious. This left Kagome vulnerable to his demon side. He had tried to take care of himself, but as he continued to get more powerful, his nature began getting harder to hold back.

When Kikyou was resurrected, there were no more signs of real life in her and he felt as if the woman that he fell in love with was still dead. The new Kikyou was a slut and an emotionless husk that bore the name of his past lover. The first time he went to see her, she had jumped him and tried to get him to take her. That's when he knew for sure that any scrap of his old Kikyou was gone forever. That also served as the time he finally found a solution to his growing problem. If she really wanted it, he would give it to her. And so he started to look for her whenever he needed to satisfy an urge. He would see her soul creatures and meet her away from the group. Then they would fuck and he would go back. He didn't even have to worry about pups because she was just a clay figure with a soul. She lacked the necessities to bear children. The eerie part was that even though she continually asked for sex and he continually used her for it, she never gave any outward signs of pleasure. It never seemed like he was fucking another person, just a shell of one.

That day he had been feeling kind of excited so he went to find her. Just when they were about to get down to business, Kagome had popped up out of nowhere and started acting all weird. Sure she had walked in on them before, but this time he could just tell that it was different. When he looked into her eyes he didn't find hurt or resentment. Instead he saw nothing. It had scared him. If there was pain or hatred in her gaze, at least that meant she was thinking about him. As long as she thought about him he still had a chance. Now there were no chanc-

-CRASH-

While deep within his own thoughts, the hanyou had neglected to look where he was going causing him to walk headfirst into a tree. Sango and Miroku who had been watching him while he went through all of these emotions could not hold back their laughs.

"Inu- Inuya- Inuyasha!" Sango said through her giggles, "you should ha- have seen your f- face!"

"Yes," the monk said with a hearty chuckle, "It's nice to know you wish to branch out from your usually angry expression."

Everyone looked at the monk. The monk had unfortunately chosen that exact moment to try and take a feel of his beloved Sango's backside.

"HENTAAAAI! That. wasn't. Even. FUNNY!" Sango screamed while punctuating her words with blows to the monk's head.

"But my dear Sango, I was simply giving thanks to the kamis that gave you such an inviting figure" Miroku reasoned, "I am a monk after all. Is it not my duty to worship and appreciate what the kamis have given?"

He said this all while wiggling his eyebrows seductively and inching his hand closer to Sango once more. While she listened to him, Sango's face started to turn red all the way to her roots.

"You STUPID HENTAI MONK!" Sango said and gave chase wielding hiraikotsu.

The two lovers chased each other around until both were tired and collapsed on the soft grass of the meadow they had been stopped at.

All the while a certain hanyou was having trouble processing all that was going on. One minute he was thinking about all the things that were wrong with his life and the next Sango was chasing Miroku with major killing intent. And he had been hit by a tree! Kikyo watched all of this with no change in her facial expression. Kagome would have laughed or been concerned, then she would have told him it'd take more than a tree to get through his thick skull. They would bicker playfully and both would know the other didn't mean anything by it. Were those days really over for him? No. He wouldn't let her go so easily.

"Kikyo, Miroku, Sango" he said gaining the group's attention, "We're goin' to the West."

"May I ask why we are stopping to travel in the opposite direction?" questioned Miroku.

"I'm gonna get Kagome back" he said. Silence quickly overtook the earlier mood.

"Why? She left us because of you. We should respect her wishes" Sango said with a bit of venom in her tone.

"I'm sure she will tell us when she is ready to see us again" she said a little more softly.

"keh" he scoffed, "like I would wait for that to happen." He couldn't wait for it to happen, after all, it probably would never happen if his asshole half-brother had anything to do with it.

"We're leavin' now, so quit yer yappin'" he said when Sango mumbled something about stupid stubborn hanyous.

"No! why can't you listen to other people for once?" she said with the bite back in her tone.

"Sango" Miroku started.

"Stop Miroku, I don't wanna hear it, he needs to get it through his thick skull that we cannot be ordered around like slaves according to his whims" she said, venting the frustrations she had felt for the past week or so.

"So what? This is my pack. If I say we go, we're goin'" Inuyasha said with a bit of a growl.

"Besides, I don't think she's safe with my asshole brother. He hates humans and mikos most of all. Don't you think it's strange that he would all of a sudden want to take her to his castle? I'm worried… even if I don't have a right to be" he said more calmly with sadness thick in his tone.

Sango was clearly still upset with his treatment of them, but upon reflection, it seemed that she considered his point and was sufficiently worried herself.

~Sango's POV~

At the time they had sent Kagome and Shippo off, she had felt nothing but embarrassment at the hanyous presumed actions. Sango had thought nothing of Sesshomaru's past history nor Kagome's fate, she simply felt bad for her. She did not want Kagome to suffer any longer in the presence of Inuyasha and so she sent her off with a hug and a smile. Did she only succeed in helping Kagome "out of the frying pan, and into the fire"? An expression that Kagome had taught her… That settled it. As much as she did not like Inuyasha's brash attitude about it, she would go along with his plans. If once they arrived at Sesshomaru's castle she saw that Kagome was safe and happy, she would drag the hanyou away by his hair if she had to. However, on that same note, if she had been harmed or mistreated in any way, Sango would do whatever it took to get her out of Sesshomaru's clutches.

"We'll go to the West, but if she is happy, we will leave her be. So help me I will hurt you if you try to ruin her happiness Inuyasha" she said with enough warning in her voice to let him know she was serious.

All he said was, "Keh, whatever let's go" but she knew he had understood by the way his jaw had tightened and his ears twitched.

And so they started their journey to the West.


	3. A little Lemon Anyone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the POV switcher strikes again! also, lol to when I thought that big (on average) was 12 inches.

~Kagome's POV~

Oh. My. Kami. This place was HUGE! Kagome almost couldn't comprehend how a place this far in the past could be so big. They had been walking through the forest, when all of a sudden this monstrous castle loomed before them. It was easily taller than the surrounding trees, so she was surprised that they had not seen it earlier. With a stone base that rose about fifteen feet, the castle evolved into a complex structure of roofs and walkways. The roofs were all of the traditional style of sloping triangles. They were tiled with what seemed to be jade or a similar stone. The areas above entryways were ornately decorated with vibrant reds and golds. The rest of the large construct was made of dark wood and lined with shoji screens. She stood there gaping like a fish until she heard a mesmerizing deep throated chuckle from behind her. That rich melted chocolate voice could only belong to one person.

"Sesshomaru! All of this is yours?" she could not help the disbelief that creeped into her voice as she asked this.

"You doubt the worth of this Sesshomaru?" he asked with a smirk and one perfect eyebrow arched in question.

"N-no, but man this place is so BIG! And it's so nice too, although knowing you, all of this does make a bit of sense. After all what would a perfect Sesshomaru be if he didn't have a perfect house to go along with perfect confidence and perfect hair. Not to mention a perfect body and a perfect voice…" she rambled.

'KAMI I'm rambling and he can hear me and I just want to crawl into a hole and disappear' she thought frantically while frozen stiff at the shock of what she had just said aloud.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

His Beast was preening at the sound of his intended's verbal appraisal and approval of him. Sesshomaru was watching in amusement as she said things she did not seem to be aware she was saying. If he had any less than the perfect control he wielded over his emotions, he most likely would have laughed at her expression when she realized she had been speaking aloud. She had been carrying on about his perfection with a sort of dazed look until she seemed to remember his presence and then it was as if she choked on her own words. Her mouth kept opening and closing as if she wanted to say something more, but lacked either the words or the breath. After a few moments of watching this entertaining scene, his Beast began to respond to the levels of distress rolling off of her in waves. 

'We must comfort the Miko'it demanded.

This was one area that Sesshomaru would did not hesitate to agree with his Beast in. Pulling her to him he made a rumbling noise deep in his throat. It was an action he had seen used to comfort females before, but never cared to try himself. It seemed to work. As the vibrations left his throat and traveled down Kagome's body, her heart rate slowed and the frantic jumping of her aura ceased.

"This Sesshomaru is quite pleased that you find him perfect in this many ways, and can assure you he always surrounds himself with perfection, yourself included. And you must get used to this level of care for it is all soon to be yours as well" he said to her in the most comforting tone he could muster, although not without a hint arrogance.

~Rin and Shippo's POV~

When they had arrived at the castle, she grabbed Shippo's hand and raced to the gardens.

"Come on Shippo! Rin wants to show you her most favorite place!" she said with much enthusiasm.

Shippo was blushing at the connection of their hands, but was overwhelmed by childish excitement over a promisingly fun place. All of a sudden Rin stopped.

When Shippo looked to her in confusion she explained, "Rin wants Kagome nee-sama to see it too!"

They ran back towards the area they had left the two, but when they rounded the corner, they could not believe their eyes. Sesshomaru was hugging Kagome! Rin grabbed Shippo and hurried out of sight.

"R-R-Rin! That was Sesshomaru hugging Kagome! What do you think is going on? Does he like her?" Shippo asked in a whisper.

"Sesshomaru-sama has never acted this way with anyone before… Do you think Kagome nee-sama is going to be Rin's new momma?!" Rin whispered back.

"Would that make Sesshomaru my new papa?" Shippo also asked.

"We could be family!" they both whisper shouted.

"Let's not tell them that we know," Shippo said wisely, "they might get embarrassed."

"We should help them though" Rin said.

"Okay, here's the plan…" Shippo started, and the two of them came up with a plan to get Sesshomaru and Kagome together.

~Kagome's POV~

'All mine?' she thought. That was crazy! How could all of this be hers too? It was too much!

Leaning away from his embrace she said, "Sesshomaru, how could I possibly have all of this? I have you and that is enough for me. All of these things are temporary, but you are forever."

It was probably the cheesiest thing she could say to him or anybody, but it was also the most true. He had seemed a bit upset when she pulled away, but when he listened to her words the warmth she had come to love entered his eyes and turned them to molten gold. It was really true what they said in all of those stupid songs she used to make fun of. When you found love it was like nothing else in the world mattered.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

"Be that as it may, you can and will have both. It is my greatest pleasure to give you anything you might desire" he said looking into her cobalt eyes.

It was true, he was finding that as he grew more and more attached to this little miko, he was no longer content in simply pleasing himself. He found that he was happiest when she was.

"And what if I said I desired you?" she said, her gaze darkening.

"Then you shall have me as well" he replied, looking deep into the eyes of his beautiful and brazen miko.

They held that pose for a while before the sound of her stomach growling reached his sensitive ears.

"But first it seems my little miko is in need of sustenance" he teased with a fanged grin.

She blushed a deep red at her own uncontrollable actions. It was indeed as she termed it "too cute". Scooping her up in his arms, he began walking towards the entrance to his castle.

"Do not fret, this Sesshomaru is grateful your body is always honest" he said in a low voice with an affectionate nuzzle to her neck.

~Kagome's POV~

She couldn't believe he was carrying her bridal style through his castle. The inside of it was just as brilliant as the outside. Everywhere was a wash of gold and amber, reminding Kagome of Sesshomaru's eyes. The detail was incredible! Every piece of wood was ornately carved, down to the supporting posts. All of the carvings were different depictions of wolves, at least from what little Kagome could see as she was currently. Kagome could feel her face flame a brilliant shade of red under the curious gazed of the castles servants. She tucked her head into his chest and sought comfort in the strong and steady beat of his heart. She heard him tell a servant to find Rin and Shippo and another one to have dinner set out. Kagome had no idea how they were going to do all of this by the time they reached wherever the dining area was, but apparently this was not something they were unused to. Every servant in the area came to life, moving with efficient precision. She could not hide her skeptical expression. How would they do it? There was no way! But sure enough, as they walked into a large area with a long table and tall chairs, Rin and Shippo sat before a fully prepared feast.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

As he set her down in a chair next to his own, he noticed the children were awfully quiet for all the ruckus they had made earlier.

"Rin" he called.

"Hai Sesshomaru-sama!" she chirped back.

"What is it that you two are whispering so conspiratorially over there?" he asked with stern suspicion.

"We're talking about the garden! Not consp- conspir- cospirit- whatever you said" the fox kit replied whilst Rin nodded a little too enthusiastically.

However, he could scent no lie on either of them so he would be content in this answer for now. After he was seated, he motioned for the servants to begin serving the food. As food was served, he watched his Kagome's face. At the first bite, her face broke out into an expression of surreal bliss, and a luxurious moan exited her full lips. Where before he found feasts exceptionally boring, he now had something very interesting to look forward too if today was any indication.

~Kagome's POV~

Kagome's mind was a melted pool of pleasure. She had no idea what she was eating, but if pure bliss had a flavor, she had found it. The strong warring harmony of flavors was like a complicated dance that was executed perfectly. The wonderful balance between sweet, sour and spice was what elicited a moan from her. 'Did I just moan at a dinner table?' she asked herself. 'Ah who cares? This is delicious' was her own half formed reply. When she had finished eating every bit of whatever that magnificent dish was, she looked up to realize she had the eyes of everybody present. The children were giggling and Sesshomaru had a lazy grin on his face that made her heart turn to jello. She was embarrassed at how she seemed like a starved animal, but she just had to know what she just ate was.

"What was that?" she asked with awe in her voice.

"Roasted boar with honey and herbs" Sesshomaru told her.

That… was it? Was she really that hungry, or were Sesshomaru's cooks just that good? Either way she would definitely not mind staying if it meant eating things like that on a daily basis.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

After Kagome's sensual dinner display, he found it harder to reign in his desire for her. He knew that now in his own castle, there would be nothing to stop him from taking her. After dinner, she and Rin had gone out to the gardens upon Rin's insistence. That was why he was puzzled when Rin came back alone.

"Rin, where is Kagome?" he asked.

"Kagome nee-sama is in the gardens!" Rin replied.

Why would she remain in the gardens? It was already dark outside.

"You and Shippo are to go to bed" he dictated.

"See that it happens" he commanded a nearby servant, "Also make sure that the gardens are clear of everyone but Kagome and myself."

~Kagome's POV~

Now this was just heavenly. First good food and now this! She was reveling in the warm caress of the hot spring that Rin had shown her. It had been nestled in the center of the complex maze of flowers, but it was definitely worth the trouble it took to get here. The light scent of flowers floated through the air on a small, but comforting breeze and the steam curled up from the water and rose up high making patterns in the night sky before disappearing in the light of the full moon. She sank further into the water… yup, this was definitely something she could get used to. However it was dark and she had sent Rin back a while ago. If she didn't go back soon, Sesshomaru would probably be upset.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He entered the gardens and followed her scent. He noticed that the soft perfume of the flowers were not overpowering, but only complemented her natural scent. Her scent led him farther and farther into the gardens and he was beginning to worry that she had gotten lost in the expanse of his lands. Finally, when he had reached the center of the gardens, he found her. And what a sight he found. She had just left the hot springs and was using a towel to dry her hair and body. His eyes were glued to the path of the towel on her body as she dried herself. First it passed over and around each of her full breasts, then it glided down the flat plane of her stomach. Briefly the towel disappeared between her legs to dry her womanhood and the strong heady scent that came from that one action was almost enough to lure him from his current position. Thankfully the towel resumed its sinful journey down her long slim legs before finally being wrapped around her torso.

This would not do. This would not do at all. The only thing in the way of him seeing the sight he most wanted to see was that towel.

His Beast roared within the confines of his mind, 'Take it away! We must see our miko and she must see us. Remove the obstacle and possess her!'

For once he was in complete agreement with his beast on the matter. Stepping out of the shadows, he advanced upon Kagome from behind. When he trapped her in his arms, she gave a surprised yelp. However, he wrapped his youki around her reiki and she knew that it was him.

"S-Sesshomaru? What are you doing here? How did you even know where I was?" she questioned, her breath hitching on his name when his hold caused the towel to brush across her breasts in just the right way.

He felt bathed in the scent of her arousal which fed his own insatiable hunger.

"These are my gardens," he said in a low tone, "I simply followed a beautiful scent."

He said this, all the while placing small kisses along her her neck. The place just below her ear was the sweetest, so he gave a long lick of appreciation.

~Kagome's POV~

Had he just licked her? When she felt the warm kisses leave her neck she had been disappointed, but when something warm and wet traveled from the base of her neck to just behind her ear, she gave a breathy moan. That. Was. Hot. She didn't know if she ever would have allowed someone else to lick her like that, but when Sesshomaru did it, she could see it lasting forever.

"This towel," he said using one hand to trace quickly up her thigh and stomach and back down, "is in my way."

Her emotions were quickly scattered like petals of flowers in the wind. The skittering sensations of pleasure he had induced through that touch alone were not enough, she wanted more…

She leaned away from his embrace and the intoxicating smell of a summer storm. He growled when she pulled away, but the look in her dark blue eyes was enough to let him know that things were far from over. when she was fully out of his reach, she slowly let the towel slip from her body.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

When he had felt her lean away from his affections his Beast was outraged. 

'We have waited long for the Miko and yet she pulls away? WHY?' his Beast roared.

It was all he could do to keep his youki from flooding the area in an oppressive way. And then she turned around. Her eyes were the midnight sky trapped in a depthless gaze. They were half-lidded in a sensual look he never thought he would see on the little miko, but decided he would like to see many more times. As she let the towel slide from her form, he could not keep the growl of carnal appreciation that slipped through his lips. She was absolutely perfect, and she would be his. Sesshomaru admired her slender neck and the way it flowed into her narrow shoulders. he loved the way her collar bones were delicately shaped and almost pointed to her full breasts. Her nipples were a dusky pink and stood at attention under his appraising gaze. Her midsection going in a curved line from her breasts to her hips. He followed that line of sight, noticing the way her hip bones were pronounced as if they were leading the way to greater things.

His eyes landed on the small patch of midnight curls and stepped forward. He could hear the rise in heartbeat, but knew not whether it was from nervousness or anticipation. When he reached her, her face was turned down towards the ground in what he assumed to be embarrassment.

He lifted her chin to meet her gaze and said softly, "You are the most enchantingly beautiful creature I have yet to encounter. Do not doubt that truth and be confident in my desire for you always."

He felt the anxious energy retreat from her aura and knew that she had heard his words.

"Kiss me Sesshomaru" she said with clear eyes reflecting the light of the moon.

Kiss her he did. It was a soft and slow burning kiss as he moved his hands from her neck down her back, feeling every dip and contour as he moved. When he reached the curve of her rear, he could not help but marvel at the soft firmness of it. Hands dipping low to explore the new area, he smoothed over it a few times with strong hands before squeezing with gentle fascination. How could his miko be so soft and yet have the strength he knew her to possess at the same time? His actions were drawing soft little moans from her.

~Kagome's POV~

She couldn't believe the sensations he was bringing her right now. His hands were roaming all over her body pulling her attention to so many different places at the same time. His mouth had moved from hers to her neck and his tongue and teeth were tracing patterns into the sensitive flesh. When her nipples brushed once more against the silk of his haori, she decided that he was wearing entirely too many clothes.

"Take it off" she whispered in a breathy voice as she tugged on the fabric.

He moved so fast she couldn't comprehend it. One moment they were standing together and he was clothed, the next she lay beneath him in the soft grass feeling every contour of his body pressed against hers.

Was that what she thought it was? She felt her whole body flush with heat as she felt something hard against her thigh. However, Sesshomaru didn't even give her a chance to feel embarrassed because his mouth was everywhere again. She felt a fang graze her nipple and her mind went blank.

"Ah- Aahn" she cried.

Was that sound from her? Kagome didn't know she was capable of such a sound, but apparently that was far from the last time.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

Such a lovely sound she made. When he had brushed a fang against one of her hardened peaks, she had responded by arching her back and releasing a beautiful cry of pleasure. Never one to waste opportunities, he did it once more. Again he was rewarded with the same response. Now that he had found this new form of pleasurable amusement, he would not let it go so easily. With a feral smirk he turned his attention to the small pink points, laving one entirely with his tongue before giving it a light nip. Kagome had been breathing out little wanton moans while he worked, but when she felt his teeth close around the sensitive nub, she gave a yelp. He enjoyed teasing her and so he did it repeatedly, first to one and then the other. All of this while, his hands kept moving. One used clawed finger tips to lightly trail down her spine, enjoying the resounding shivers, before traveling to the aid of his mouth in the pleasuring of her breasts. The other hand had been playing with the delectable flesh of her bottom for a while until he decided it was time to start preparing her.

Sesshomaru came off of her a bit, moving more to her side than on top of her. While trapping her mouth in another searing kiss, he moved that hand towards her heat. The scent of her arousal that had been intoxicating him grew stronger, and he knew it would not take too much for him to lose control. Dragging one finger along her slit, he felt her gasp against his lips. A little fear tainted her scent when he did this.

"Y- Your cla- claws" she panted, "Won't they hurt?"

He did not want to ruin the moment with the scent of her fear, for she was not meant to fear him and he had no desire of her fear.

Placing light kisses on her eyelids and on her mouth, he said, "Do you trust me?"

He did not use his traditional third person speech in order to emphasize the trust and intimacy he himself felt around her.

"Yes" was her immediate reply, and with it the fear clouding her scent disappeared leaving only her pleasant aroma behind.

Having her consent, he decided to change his previous course of actions. He did not want her to be frightened of his touch, so instead he would begin with a different approach. His lips leaving hers, he set a blazing trail of nips and licks down her pliant body. When he reached the apex of her thighs, he buried his nose in her silky black curls, breathing in the heady scent of her arousal. His eyes took on a red tint as his mind became clouded with her scent and his control slipped further. Moving slightly downward, he gave an experimental lick along her slit.

~Kagome's POV~

The moment his tongue snaked out to taste her, she hissed in surprise and tried to close her legs. Of course they did nothing to deter him.

He looked up at her with a delicious half smirk and said,"Trust me."

The sight of his molten gold eyes staring at her from his position between her legs was embarrassing, but hot at the same time. Tilting her head to the side, she relaxed her legs once more and let the sensations take over her mind. His mouth continued probing along her sex until he reached the small bundle of nerves above her entrance. When he licked the small bud, she swore she saw stars. The feeling of his slightly rough tongue on her most sensitive part was almost too much. without a thought running through her mind, she let out a long moan of strangled pleasure. After that entirely humiliating noise, she expected him to stop. However it seemed that Sesshomaru did not share those thoughts as instead of stopping, the pace at which he played with her clit only increased. As the small pearl became swollen with her arousal, he continued to lick and suck at it, even lightly grazing a fang over it. She had yipped a bit when he had used his teeth and she could feel his grin against her womanhood.

However, as the moments drew on, the constant pleasure she was receiving was not enough. The that offered her so much bliss was beginning to feel like a beautifully slow torture. "Mo- more" she panted. In answer to her request, she felt a slender finger enter her. Where before she had been frightened of his claws, she now welcomed it with a lust glazed mind. It felt strange at first. A sort of stretching sensation that was uncomfortable but not painful. He continued to slide his finger in and out until she got used to the rhythm. Meanwhile he continued using his mouth to tease her clit. The dual pleasures increased as he added another finger. She had been afraid of his claws, but they didn't affect her. His mouth left her core in order to kiss her once more. His tongue was hot and playful as it enticed her once again into a passionate dance. When he added a third finger to her slick passage, she felt lost in the feelings she was receiving. All of a sudden, he hit a particular spot and her whole body tensed as she climaxed with a garbled rendition of his name.

Sesshomaru broke the kiss to ask, "Are you prepared? Once we begin I will no longer have full reign of my beast and will not stop."

She recognized his question through the lusty haze and nodded her assent.

"I don't want you to stop" she said, squeezing the fingers inside of her to prove the point.

In answer, he gave her a chaste kiss before a transformation took place. In place of the sweet and considerate Sesshomaru present only moments ago, there was a Sesshomaru that radiated dominance with a mouth curved into a smug smirk.

"On your hands and knees" he said, pulling his fingers from her, his tone giving no room for argument.

Before she turned around, she got a good look at his naked form. He was slender, yet his flawless abs and tight muscles belied that he wasn't any weaker for it. The magenta stripes adorning his cheeks were matched by two of the same color around his waist and thighs. Then her eyes fell upon his manhood. Fully erect, it had to be about 12 inches and as thick as her wrist at the base. How was something like that supposed to fit inside of her?! looking back up to his eyes, she was about to voice her concern when he brought the fingers that were just inside of her to his lips and slowly licked her essence from them. It was a surprisingly arousing scene as on any other occasion it would have caused her to blush to her roots.

As it was, she quickly turned around. All of a sudden she felt hands around her waist and her hips were jerked back, making her fall forward onto her hands. Sesshomaru was flush against her from behind. She was still being driven mad by the loss of his fingers, so when she felt something against her sex she ground down on it in her thirst for friction. She heard a light hiss escape his mouth and knew what it was she was grinding on. She did it again to tease him, but this time he wouldn't have it, backing away slightly.

She whined a bit at the loss and looking back at him said, "Sesho- maru, I want it…"

"What exactly is it that you want? You must tell me so I can give it to you." he said with that sexy, frustrating little smirk; all the while teasing her entrance with the tip of what she now knew to be an enormous cock.

"I want you inside of me" she said, wound up from his earlier ministrations and the teasing he was doing.

"As you wish" he said, leaning over her back to kiss her neck once before slowly easing through her entrance.

She was being stretched by something much bigger than his fingers now and it felt better than before. Then all of a sudden she was in pain as the head of his cock reached her barrier. It felt like she was being torn and she sounded like she was too. But through her cries of pain she felt comforting licks to her neck.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He hated her pain. Sesshomaru tried to lessen the pain by going slowly, but his size and her virginity were making it impossible. He settled for giving small licks to her neck, an inu way of comforting a mate. Finally he was fully sheathed in her tight heat. After a while, her cries of pain quieted down and became soft mewls. All the while his Beast had been screaming to take her, so when she moved slightly, signaling it was alright for him to move, he wasted no time in doing so. Her impossibly tight core squeezed deliciously every time he thrust into her. He was moving at a slow pace for her benefit, but he also enjoyed the way he could feel her inner muscles fluttering around him. Her mewls had become moans by now and they were music he loved to hear.

"Mo- more Sessho- maru. Hard- er. Fas- ter. Sesho- maru!" she managed to say through pants and cries of pleasure.

The sound of his name on her petal lips broke his tenuous control and with eyes bleeding red he grabbed her hips and slammed into her. He set a fast pace, pumping into her roughly and relishing the screams of ecstasy he tore from her mouth. He felt her slick walls tense up again and knew that he was not in enough control to stop himself from releasing when she did. Using his demonic speed he pounded into her, using her hips to pull her back on him as he thrust forward. She fell onto her forearms from the force he was using and was saying his name like a chant when she could find breath.

~Kagome's POV~

She felt so full, yet she wanted him deeper. What had started off as making love had reduced to frantic fucking, yet she loved this just as much. She was almost numb with pleasure as he continued pounding into her, the friction driving her almost to madness. He had started pumping her so hard that she fell forward. The position had caused her ass to stick up more and the new angle meant every movement was deeper. His balls were slapping against her clit every time he rammed into her and the added sensation was bringing her to a new high. She could feel the now familiar tightening in her abdomen and knew it wouldn't be long before she climaxed again. And then in one particularly hard thrust he swiveled his hips a bit and her mouth opened in a silent scream of rapture as the world was turned into a blinding white and she exploded into a billion stars of pleasure.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

When her walls clenched tightly around him as she climaxed, he released as well with a loud growl, leaning over her to bite her neck. The bite was hard and he felt her gasp, but the pain was soon replaced by the warmth that surrounded them as his youki and her reiki swirled into one. This was his mating mark that would connect them forevermore.

'Mate' his Beast rumbled in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, he had knotted inside of her. Knowing this would take a while he moved them both on their sides, pulling her body flush against his and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"What's going on?" she asked, with a tired but worried voice.

"I have knotted within you. We will be stuck this way for a long time, so I have moved us into a more comfortable position" he replied.

"Knotting?" she inquired.

"It is the way inu's keep their female from running off after rutting. It increases the chances of impregnation" he said plainly.

"I'm going to pregnant?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Not this time. As a Daiyoukai, I am able to control the potency of my seed. You are young and do not yet know the ways of youkai, so I assumed you would not want pups right away. Although I will seek pups in the future…" he explained, enjoying the flush of color in her cheeks as he did.

"What was that with our auras when we… finished" she said rife with embarrassment.

"I have taken you as my mate. As a result, our lives and power are tied together" he told her, licking his mark upon her neck with pride.

~Kagome's POV~

They laid in comfortable silence basking in the afterglow of their coupling. It was an odd sensation to say the least. After he had released into her, she had felt him grow and swell inside. All of a sudden, he spasmed within her core and she felt his seed fill her womb. As this happened she wondered again at his thoughtfulness. Although he was not a man of many words, he still showed his attentiveness in other ways. Most males would probably ejaculate into their partners and not care or not deal with the consequences. But not Sesshomaru. True to form, his perfection extended right down to this. Kagome didn't think she was quite ready for children, but she knew that even if he hadn't been able to control himself like that she wouldn't worry too much. Just the thought of being round and pregnant with his pups made her blush with renewed force.

"What is the matter?" he said in a softer version of the deep rumble that was his voice.

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier and that… if they were your pups, I wouldn't mind" she replied, thankful that in their current position he couldn't see her face blazing red.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

His Beast howled in approval, 'See? Our mate wishes to bear our pups! We will please our mate with them next time we rut.'

Ignoring the urgings of his Beast, he could not help but admit to himself that he was pleased by her statement. Licking the place where he had marked her, he showed his contentment with a deep thrumming in his throat.

~Kagome's POV~

After her confession, she could feel the vibrations emanating from his chest and knew it to mean he was happy. Exhaustion finally taking over, she snuggled into the warmth of his chest and fell asleep to the comfortable hum.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

Sesshomaru released four more times that night, waking them both up each time. After the last time, he was finally able to pull out of her. Turning to her other side, they lied down facing each other with their legs entwined and his arms wrapped about her. He had taken the miko as a mate today, so he could not stop the small smile that fell on his lips as he felt her breath warm against his chest as he closed his eyes at last.

~General POV~

What neither of them saw was that while they slept in the glow of the full moon, an interesting transformation was taking place.


	4. Challenge Accepted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagome has been playing timid for a while now...it's time to remind Sesshomaru that she's a big girl, and she can handle her own shit.

~Kagome's POV~

She woke under the pale morning sky with the feeling of the soft grass caressing her bare back. The sun had just touched the horizon and was spreading its warm rays over their place in the gardens. But the greatest warmth came not from the sun, but rather from the sleeping demon lord beside her. She smiled at the peace his features held in sleep. It was childlike in its beauty and she wondered why he looked so warm to her yet acted so cold to others. Raising her hand to his face, she lightly traced his markings. When she pulled her hand away, she found that it was trapped in a much bigger one belonging to the same owner of the breathtaking amber eyes that were staring into her own. He pulled her fingers to his lips, giving the guilty fingers a kiss before smiling lazily.

"Is there something my mate would like?" he asked, leaning up on one elbow.

Blushing like mad, his actions reminded her of the night before when they…

"Maybe a b-bath?" she said, her uncertainty making it a question.

She was confused by this Sesshomaru. She had seen him indifferent, cold, angry, lustful, and caring, but never this freely smiling almost playful Sesshomaru. It made her feel excited to know that this was something he would share with her.

"Ah, but you smell even better with my scent all over you" he mused.

She squirmed under his smug expression.

Jumping to her feet she said, "We need to get back, and I can't go back smelling like sex!" hissing the last word.

When his look changed from smug to appreciative, she noticed two things. One, it was utterly unfair for someone to wake up after a night of sex and sleeping outdoors and still look as perfect as he did. And two… she was naked.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

He chuckled the moment she realized her nudity. Her mouth had opened, however she could not, apparently, find any words. Her entire body tensed up and she turned a curious shade of red before covering herself with her hands and turning away. While he enjoyed the view of her softly rounded rear, he also did not want his mate to act like this every time they coupled. Inu's were most comfortable in their natural state, so it would not do to have his mate be too shy to handle it. In a moment, he had his arms around her waist and was lightly kissing the place on her neck where he had marked her the night before.

"Do not be ashamed of your body Kagome, you would be desirable among all males, but you belong to me. I will not have my mate feel inferior in any way, so now come let us bathe" he said, comforting and chastising at the same time.

He lifted her into his arms despite her squeak of protest and walked towards the hot spring. Once they were in the water, he set her down in front of him.

He knew she was sore by the way she moved, and so he would try to relieve the ache she held. Around the hotspring were several jars that he recognized but knew did not belong there. They held different soaps and scented oils used when bathing. Deciding to investigate it later, he grabbed a soap for the body and worked it into a lather. He then set to work applying it to her body.

"What are you doing?" she asked, pulling away slightly.

Nipping her mark reprimandingly, he replied, "I am grooming my mate, and you will do the same."

As she settled down he began rubbing the soap down her body. It was not done in a sexual manner, but rather in a way that communicated his care. He started with her hair, washing the midnight tresses until they flowed like black water down her back. Afterwards, he made quick work of her front, thoroughly but efficiently cleaning everything from her arms and breasts, to her core and toes. Then he started kneading the soap into her back loosening the knots he found there on the way. When he traveled back up to her shoulders she groaned appreciatively. He continued to massage her shoulders until she was completely relaxed, knowing that she had been in a rather uncomfortable position.

~Kagome's POV~

She didn't know how this much perfection could fit into one person, but as his hands worked the tension out of her shoulders, she found that she didn't care. His hands were absolute magic. Combined with the warmth of the water, it was bliss. If she had this to look forward to every time she took a bath, she could definitely live through any hardships the feudal era could throw at her. By the time he finished, she felt as if she had melted into a puddle of goo and been reformed into a person again (ache free too!) She washed all of the soap off with water before moving behind him. Because he was so much taller than her, he had to sit in the water for her to wash his hair. At first she was daunted by the sheer amount of hair he possessed, but she couldn't deny herself a chance to play with his super silky silver locks. Pouring a generous amount of soap in her palms she started at the bottom of his hair and worked her way up. It took ten more palm fulls of soap before she reached the crown of his head. She massaged the soap into his hair using her blunt fingernails to scratch his scalp in a rhythmic manner. She noticed that as she continued this action, that deep thrumming noise he had made before was back. He only seemed to do it when he was content so… did that mean it was like purring? At the thought of the proud Sesshomaru purring while his head was scratched, she had to hold back her laughter.

When she finished his hair, he stood so that she could wash his back. She stopped to admire it as she did so. It was strong and defined and she couldn't help the pride that rose in her as she looked at her mate. She wanted to take him and show him off to the whole world! Lost in her thoughts, she had been scrubbing the same spot for a while.

Turning to face her, Sesshomaru spoke with slight worry in his tone, "I think that place is quite clean enough. Are you well?"

She answered back shyly, but truthfully, "I was just admiring my mate."

His face immediately morphed into a smirk.

"There's more yet to admire. Will you wash the rest of me now?" She scowled playfully at his conceited tone, but set to work washing his front.

She washed his chest and abs, but stopped when she got to his manhood. Seeing it now up close and in the light she almost couldn't believe it. How had that fit inside of her?! Still marveling, she cleaned it as quickly as possible, finding is impossible not to be squeamish. Then she finished his legs and indicated that he should rinse the soap.

What she didn't tell him to do was grab her legs underwater and lift her over his shoulder. But that's what he did, leaping gracefully out of the hot spring. Stooping only to pick up his haori and hakama from where he had discarded it the night before. After putting on his hakama and wrapping her in his haori, he carried her in his arms out of the gardens. While he carried her, she decided that now was the time to protest her position.

"Sesshomaru," she started sternly, "I am not some doll that you can pick up and put down as you please."

Looking to her with innocent amber eyes he said, "Are you certain you can walk properly by yourself?"

She blushed, her earlier upset gone. She had no answer because she honestly was really sore after last night. She had used muscles she never knew she had and been stretched in ways she couldn't previously imagine.

"Whatever. Just don't get used to it…" she mumbled as they continued leisurely to the castle.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

It had been so long since he felt such tranquility, so he was not surprised when they arrived back and his castle was in uproar. Servants were rushing about and he could hear angry voices shouting near the door. He was equally unsurprised when he caught the scent of his idiot half-brother at the center of it all. Kagome appeared to have caught the scent as well because she stiffened in his arms.

"Is- is that Inuyasha?" she asked, confusion coloring her tone.

He sighed inwardly, was he not allowed a few moments of peace with his mate? Gritting his teeth at the half-breed's poor timing his face became a deadly calm. The servants around him prepared for blood, because it was clear the hanyou would not get a warm reception today.

"Hn. So it seems" he said, reverting back to his usual coldness.

~Inuyasha's POV~

They had finally made it to this Kami forsaken castle and he'd be damned if he let them stop him from seeing Kagome. The whole way to the West he kept hearin' the same stupid shit from Sango about leavin' if Kagome was happy.

'keh. As if she could possibly be happy with my ice-prick of a half-brother.'

He was convinced that it would be a miracle to even find her alive. And even if she was happy for some reason, he wouldn't leave until she knew exactly what she saw and what his reasons were. But regardless, he shouldn't have had to take that much shit from his pack. If he wanted to take her away from the castle, it's not as if either of them could stop him. And so he had endured a long journey of skulking, being lectured and his heat had come around again so he was fucking Kikyo on the side. If that didn't irritate him enough, when they finally got here, this little green toad demon said they couldn't go in!

He had drawn Tetsusaiga, ready to fight his way in if he had to, when an arrogant voice floated down the hall, making the puppy ears on top of his head twitch.

"Do not presume that you can enter into my home uninvited and then destroy it with your unskilled handling of Tetsusaiga" came Sesshomaru's voice, making him bear his fangs in a low growl.

He whirled around and nearly choked. Sesshomaru was walking in with Kagome in his arms, wearing his haori, while he himself only wore hakama. And that wasn't the worst part! Glaring out at him from the center of her forehead was a deep blue crescent moon, and on her cheeks were two silver stripes.

"What the FUCK is all of this?!" he yelled.

Sesshomaru let Kagome down and Inuyasha stomped up to her, angry, before a snarl ripped out of Sesshomaru's throat.

"WATCH yourself half-breed" he growled, making Inuyasha's ears lay flat against his skull as his Beast recognized an alpha.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome said after a moment, to break the palpable tension.

"What's wrong? You took that asshole for a mate, that's what's wrong" he seethed.

Her mouth fell open.

"How di- how did you know?" she asked, blushing incredibly. Was she serious?

"Have you taken a fuckin' look at yourself? It's obvious, you even smell like him" he said.

~Kagome's POV~

She looked to Sesshomaru for confirmation, "What is he talking about?"

"The hanyou refers to the markings you now bear, as well as the way our scents have layered" he said, with his eyes still narrowed at Inuyasha.

"What markings?" she asked, confused.

"You have the same markings as this Sesshomaru. They are proof that you are Lady of the West" he told her, reluctantly turning his eyes away from Inuyasha.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Sesshomaru.

"It changes nothing, marks or no marks you are still mate to this Sesshomaru. I saw no need to point out unnecessary things" he said simply.

Kagome still couldn't believe he could be so nonchalant about it, but the fact that he accepted her the same way no matter what just reminded her why she loved him.

"Keh. I'm gonna be fuckin' sick" said Inuyasha, breaking their moment.

That was when she fully realized the situation. Sango and Miroku were standing a bit far off, with shocked expressions and Kikyo was standing even further away looking at Sesshomaru. Inuyasha had probably forced them along in a tantrum. Wait. What the FUCK was Kikyo doing here?! And why was she looking at Sesshomaru like she wanted to jump him, wasn't she with Inuyasha?

She let a warning growl slip through her teeth, causing Kikyo to turn to her. Her expression was blank, but then an irritating little smirk lifted the corner of her mouth. Kagome saw red.

"What is that CORPSE doing in my HOME?! Why do you keep looking at MY mate like a bitch in heat? Do you think you can TAKE him from me?" she said, raising her voice as her anger grew.

Her body was starting to feel warm all over and the familiar flow of power coursed through her ready to follow her wishes.

"I already took one love from you, but if you insist I can take the other as well. He certainly looks as if he could satisfy me" she said in a dead tone, the smirk still in place.

Kagome snarled and Kikyo drew her bow. Immediately Sesshomaru appeared in front of her and Inuyasha in front of Kikyo.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome said in a calm voice, "please step aside. She challenged my place at your side and I will not let you fight for me when it comes to my own problems."

Nodding once, he stepped away. Inuyasha made no move to protect Kikyo, but was worried about Kagome.

"Half-breed, your female has challenged Kagome. In one half hour, Kagome will receive her challenge and the two will fight until a yield or death. When the time comes, a servant will escort you to the armory and then the arena" Sesshomaru said in a formal tone, giving nothing away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when will I get tired of these POV switches???

Leaving them behind, he led his mate to a room far away from the people who had upset her. Simply thinking on it made him roil with rage. If she had not stopped him, the dead priestess would have died again. However unlike the first time, he would make sure that she could never come back. Closing the door behind them, he turned to look at her.

“Mate, are you alright?” he asked.

She looked up at him and he felt true pride in his mate. Instead of the tears he had half anticipated, her dark blue eyes were flashing in anger.

“I’m fine. In fact, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finally cut ties with Inuyasha” she said.

He felt relief. Subconsciously, he had worried over her connection with the hanyou. Although he knew himself to have no flaws to speak of, knowing for sure that she truly held no more feelings towards his idiot half-brother was oddly comforting.

“Besides Inuyasha, your other companions are also here. Would you like to see them before it’s time?” Her eyes softened and brightened up as she nodded excitedly.

He summoned a servant to bring the slayer and the monk to the room.

~Sango’s POV~

Her mind was reeling with all that had happened. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? After Kagome and Sesshomaru had left, Miroku and she were taken to a room and Inuyasha and Kikyo were led to another. She paced the room while Miroku tried to calm her down.

“Sango, I’m sure it will be fine” he said.

“Fine?” she started, dangerously calm, “IT WILL OBVIOUSLY NOT BE FINE!” she finished, wanting to hit the stupid monk over the head.

“Our friend mated with that sadistic demon, and now she’s going to fight Kikyo until one of them gives and I’m afraid Miroku!” she ranted.

Leaving his place to embrace her, he said soothingly, “Sango, I trust Kagome.

She didn’t look like she was unwilling to be Sesshomaru’s mate, and I know that she has gotten even stronger than any of us thought. She will win and it will be fine.”

She leaned into his warmth, appreciating the fact that he was therefore in a serious way. When the door opened however, she nearly shoved him out of the way.

“What is it?” she asked, eager for news as a servant entered the room.

“The Lord and Lady request your presence” the impassive neko youkai said after bowing politely, “I am to escort you.”

~Kagome’s POV~

She had been pacing nervously when all of a sudden the door burst open and she was tackled in a hug.

“Kagome! I missed you so much! Youhavetotellmeabsolutelyeverything!” said the excited slayer as she squeezed the breath out of Kagome.

“Whoa, Sango slow down! Your words are running together and I- can’t- breathe-” She said flustered, but happy to see her friend again.

Immediately Sango let her go.

Kagome laughed at her expression of embarrassment and smiling warmly she said, “It’s so great to see you guys!”

“Truly it is Kagome. Without you, our little group has quite lost its soul” Miroku said.

“But don’t you have Kikyo? Surely she can find jewel shards better than I can” Kagome said frowning.

“Don’t compare yourself to her! She can barely detect them! Nowadays we spend more of our time getting lost than we ever did!” Sango burst out.

Now that was surprising. After all, Inuyasha had spent most of their time together telling her how much easier it would be for Kikyo to do the things she had trouble with.

She was saved from having to answer by the door slamming open. Once again she was nearly toppled to the floor, but this time it was by two small children. Rin and Shippo had suctioned themselves onto her, Shippo in her arms and Rin around her legs.

“Moooooooommaaaaaaa!” they cried together.

“What?!” she asked, worried there was something terribly wrong, “What happened?!”

“Rin heard some of the servants say that Kagome okaa-san was going to fight a bad lady soon” the girl sniffled, hugging her tighter.

“Please don’t fight momma! I don’t wanna lose you!” Shippo bawled.

What on Earth had they heard? Kneeling, she set Shippo down next to Rin.

“Now listen,” she said soothingly, “I’m not going to lose because I have two really great kids waiting for me to come back, so will you cheer for me? There’s no way Kikyo could win if you both cheered me on, so will you two be the brave kids I know you are and do that for me?”

She wiped the tears from their eyes as she waited for their answer.

“HAI!” they exclaimed. “Rin and Shippo will cheer you on for sure!” Rin said with a toothy smile dimpling her tear stained cheeks.

“We’ll make sure you win!” Shippo said in agreement with Rin.

“Good, now why don’t you say hi to everybody!” she said brightly.

“Miroku? Sango! When did you guys get here? Did you bring Kirara with you?” Shippo said, bouncing excitedly, his earlier fears forgotten.

When Sango pulled the small neko youkai from behind her, Rin released a squeal.

“Kawaii” she crooned, “Can Rin play too Sango-sama?”

Sango smiled and said ok. Taking Kirara with them, Rin and Shippo exited the room as quickly as they had come in. She laughed at the way they could switch moods so quickly, but was deeply happy that they cared so much about her.

“You sure have a handful” Sango laughed before becoming serious once more, “But they are right, and I’m worried too. Tell me what happened since you left.”

She sighed; she knew she would have to explain everything, even from before she left so that her friends wouldn’t worry so much.

So with another sigh, she said, “You might want to sit down for this.”

She proceeded to tell them everything from when she was attacked, to finding Inuyasha and Kikyo, to their travel here and even the castle food! She conveniently skipped over the actual mating part of the story for fear she would die of embarrassment.

“And you were here for the rest…” she said, taking a deep breath now that she was done speaking.

They were astonished to say the least, but they were happy to know their friend was happy. After she had told her tale she inquired about their own travels and they spent time swapping stories and laughs.

~Sesshomaru’s POV~

He stood in the shadows, watching her laugh and talk with her companions. She was so full of life and happiness, it was a wonder that she could cope with him as he was generally cold and guarded his emotions fiercely. But how quickly she had seen them, tossing aside the barricades around his heart as if they were naught but paper. It was as if he were the night and she the sun. Her warm rays had spread over his existence, thawing the ice he held in his soul. It was uncomfortable to be so exposed, but he did not mind. She was everything one could ask for, smart, beautiful, kind, fierce, loyal, honest, and she was all his. He was able to share himself with her as he had never done before. And he knew she would guard the things he shared with her. His pride in his mate swelled as he recalled the ferocity with which she defended her place with earlier. He had faith in the strength of his mate, so he would not trouble himself with worry as the others seemed to. Instead, he would simply make sure she was well prepared.

Stepping out of his statue like state, Sesshomaru spoke for the first time since before the Slayer and the Monk arrived.

“Kagome, we are out of time, you must be fitted for armor and pick your weapons now” he said.

“Right” she said, “Well I have a challenge to fight, so cheer me on ok?”

“Are you sure you have to do this?” the Slayer asked.

This time he answered in place of Kagome.

“She must do this or forfeit her right to be my mate. She was challenged directly and accepted. To run away would mean she was weak” he said, “And if I had not thought her capable, I would have killed her challenger already.”

The monk and the Slayer blanched at his words, but Kagome understood.

Turning to her friends she said, “I can do this.”

He followed his little miko out of the room and then took her down to the armory.

She had requested to pick out her own things and so he waited for her to finish changing. When she came out, his Beast roared and beat against the cage of his mind. She was clad in a black skin tight body suit made from snake youkai skin that not only hugged every delicious curve, but also gave her the advantage of flexibility without sacrificing protection. She wore black leather boots on her feet that were sturdy, but not stiff. She also wore a strip of leather around her waist, where she tucked two small blades. All in all in was an immense pleasure to see his mate dressed like this. It appealed to his baser nature, knowing that she was dressed that way to fight for him. As he looked at her, he noticed that she was not blushing under his gaze. Deep in her azure eyes was a determination he had not seen before. She was looking at him as if to memorize every line of his face. Sesshomaru raised a hand to cup her face and bring it closer for a chaste kiss.

“My mate is strong. I do not doubt this and neither should you” he said, knowing by her scent that even if she did not appear to be, she was slightly nervous.

She nodded once at his words, and he knew that she was ready. “I will lead you to the arena. Once you are there, you will fight within the arena until one of you yields or a death occurs. There are no rules besides this however” he told her.

~Kagome’s POV~

She would win. She had to win. She looked at Sesshomaru, who was waiting expectantly. This was what she was fighting for. Kikyo had taken Inuyasha because he was weak willed, but Sesshomaru was not weak. She knew that if she lost today, he would just kill Kikyo, but that wouldn’t change anything. She needed to prove that she was strong. She needed to prove it to her friends, to Sesshomaru, but most of all she needed to prove it to herself. She followed him down a series of hallways until they reached an enormous room. In the middle of the room was a large ring surrounded by a stone wall. Surrounding the ring were seats cut from stone. Seeing it made her think of when she had seen a picture of the Coliseum. It was the same type of intimidating structure. Feeling arms wrap around her, she turned to face Sesshomaru.

“I will be watching” he said, staring at her with molten gold eyes. She tilted her head up and he leaned down to meet her lips in a kiss. His tongue caressed hers in a way that left her wanting more. However, just when she was about to really get lost in it, he pulled away.

“Come back to me quickly” he said with that sexy little smirk she loved so much.


	6. Even The Strongest Fall Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yassssssssss

“Tease” she mumbled as he walked away.

His light chuckle told her that he had heard her last remark despite his distance and the fact that she had mumbled it. She really wanted to chase after him and pin him down until she was satisfied, but the figure walking in from the opposite side of the ring stole her focus. It was Kikyo dressed in the same clothes she came in, only now she carried a short blade at her side as well as her bow. Kagome was furious. Kikyo had not even bothered with armor! It was as if she thought Kagome would not be enough of a challenge to require caution. Kagome did not know the feeling of rage that coursed through her, never having known bloodlust before. All she knew was that she wanted to cut that stupid smirk right off that bitch’s face. It was a strange thing for her to experience because she had never actually hated anyone before now. Actually, before her newly gained power she had always given people the benefit of the doubt. She had never held grudges or even disliked anyone but naraku and his minions. All of that was different now.

She focused on the target now, the earlier moments of joking with Sesshomaru completely forgotten. She would make Kikyo remember her place. She would make it brutally clear who had the real strength. For every time Kagome had been made to feel inferior to her, she would return it to Kikyo tenfold. Gone was the nice and forgiving Kagome who let everyone walk all over her without a second thought. Now stood a new Kagome, with hellfire in her eyes and a smile that promised pain.

~Kikyo’s POV~

It was so boring. Bored. That would be the word that most aptly described her feelings ever since she was resurrected by that witch. As hollow as she was, the only thing she was left with was an insatiable hunger. She wanted, needed to be filled; and she knew just how to do it. As hung up as he was on the old Kikyo, it had been no trouble luring the hanyo to her side. He had been sufficient, but now she was ready for something… bigger. When he had walked into the room clad only in his hakama, she knew she had to have him. Such a balance of delicacy and masculinity! She had never seen a creature so beautiful, and yet dominance seemed to radiate from his every pore. She shivered slightly as she thought about how different it would be with a full demon. It fed her monstrous lust as fantasies of being filled by such a being danced behind her eyes. An aura flared as she let her eyes linger on the muscular form of Sesshomaru, hidden beneath the layers of silk. She turned her attention to the source. It was that pathetic reincarnation.

She almost smirked at the effort of the little girl. Kagome was dressed in some ridiculous outfit, obviously hoping to increase her chances of winning. Hmf. As if it would even be a contest. Soon she would have the fulfillment she so craved at the hands of the Daiyoukai and her meddlesome reincarnation would be out of the way… permanently. Besides, this fight wouldn’t only be one of power, Kikyo had a few other ways she knew she could get to the girl. It would be satisfying to see Kagome at her mercy at last, being able to witness the destruction of something so pure, knowing that it was by her own hand. She lusted after the feeling of hate that filled her, craved it as a starving man had want of food and drink. A sickly smile played across her pale lips as she thought about her reincarnation’s last moments.

~General POV~

A tiger youkai walked towards the center of the ring as spectators took their seats. News of the fight must have spread throughout the castle, calling out all occupants to see the show. They were eager not only for the entertainment aspect of it, but also the chance to see their Lord’s mate in action. They had all heard of the miko from a few of the attending servants who had seen her, but the real question was of her power. Lord Sesshomaru would surely not choose a weakling for a mate, but after the incident with his father and the human princess, all eyes would be on the fight. If the girl could not win, she would prove that Sesshomaru was weak and unfit as Lord of the West. The tiger youkai held up a hand for silence as the people in the arena settled in. Everything grew still.

“The challenger has stated her superiority to that of the Lady of the West, and disputed her claim on the great Lord Sesshomaru” the youkai said in a strong voice.

A few of the demons in the castle that had already met them both let out snarls at this.

“The Lady has accepted the challenge and will now fight for her claim. The event will begin when Lord Sesshomaru gives the signal and the challenger and the challenged will engage in battle until one submits completely or is destroyed” he continued before jumping out of the ring to await the Lord’s signal.

All looked to Sesshomaru for the fight to start. With a seemingly dismissive wave of his hand, the battle began.

The two women merely watched each other for a moment, each testing the other’s resolve. All of a sudden Kagome struck out like lightning towards her opponent. Unfortunately Kikyo was able to dodge the first attack.

It seemed like the hopes of an easy defeat by Lady Kagome were lost.

Kikyo ducked under the hand that had lunged for her throat and spun around. Using the momentum of the spin, Kikyo turned a dodge in to a counter attack. It seemed too easy to all who watched, for they had not doubted for a moment the strength of their Lord’s mate. Many shifted uncomfortably in audience. No one wanted to believe that Sesshomaru would choose a weak mate, especially since she was a miko. However, if she could not even win this battle against a dead priestess, it would not bode well for the Western Lands.

Sesshomaru continued to watch with seeming impassivity. However, inside he was roiling. ‘What is she doing? I have felt her power, so I know for a fact that she is more than capable of defeating the clay priestess… Why does she allow herself to look weak?’

~Kikyo’s POV~

Kikyo was almost disappointed at how easy it was to block and counter the measly attacks being thrown at her. She hadn’t expected much from her useless reincarnation, but she didn’t think Kagome would be this weak. ‘Oh well, this just proves that I’m better than her in every way… Sesshomaru will throw her away when he sees how badly I beat her’ Kikyo chuckled as she circled Kagome with new motivation.

“What of all your boasts, my little imposter? I see nothing here that would warrant your previous confidence, except the fact that you have Sesshomaru to come and save you” Kikyo sneered.

“Soon you won’t even have that though” Kikyo continued as their blades met once again.

Sliding her sword down Kagome’s until their faces were mere inches from each other, Kikyo leaned in to whisper, “You will not leave this arena alive.”

Kikyo nimbly sprang back as Kagome forced her away. She still could not understand why this little weakling, no more than a shadow of herself, had males falling over themselves for her. As far as Kikyo was concerned, Kagome didn’t deserve that pleasure. Kikyo’s eyes darkened with her resolve to rid the world of her reincarnation.

~Kagome’s POV~

She just needed a little more time… Just enough to finish her plan. Kikyo was starting to get bored, so she knew she could not cover for much longer and would have to defend and attack in earnest. As Kikyo rushed her, she once again took the hit. While she maneuvered to avoid anything serious, she let her defense go in favor of drawing out another sliver of spiritual power from Kikyo under the guise of a small blow. She had been doing this for the duration of the fight, and so far Kikyo hadn’t noticed.

However, Kagome was getting a little tired of playing the weak opponent. Kikyo’s jibe about Sesshomaru having to save her was the hardest to ignore since she was painfully familiar with that position. She kept having to remind herself that she would pay Kikyo back ten times over when all was said and done.

“I do wonder how it will feel… when he takes me for the first time. Inuyasha was good, but there’s no doubt that being with a full demon will be better. I ache just thinking of it… I’m sure he will also appreciate a woman of true beauty after having had to settle for you” Kikyo said in yet another attempt to rile up the pretend miko.

Unfortunately for Kikyo…. it worked.

The pressure in the air suddenly increased as the tight lid Kagome had succeeded in keeping on her spiritual powers for so long was blown off. Blunt human fingernails elongated into claws, ears lost their rounded shape in favor of elfen points, teeth grew sharper and canines lengthened into fangs, her stance took on a grace and elegance to be envied and her body became ever so slightly taller and… fuller.

Kagome floored the audience, looking every bit a vengeful demon goddess wrapped in white pink spiritual power. Her eyes were impossible to look at, for they glowed the same pink as her aura that whipped about her, and her hair waved out as if blown by some ethereal wind.

Kikyo stepped back, speechless for a moment.

“You dare…” Kagome said quietly before knocking Kikyo to the floor with a powerful lash of her aura.

“YOU DARE to think you have a right to what is MINE?! That you are WORTHY?! That you DESERVE such a privilege?! True beauty is POWER, whether mind, body, or spirit. What right have you to call yourself a true beauty, when you are pitifully weak in all three?” she said scathingly as she advanced upon Kikyo, who was bound to the floor by the intensity of Kagome’s aura.

~Kikyo’s POV~

What in the hells was happening?! She had been about to finish Kagome off and then suddenly she was on the floor. Why couldn’t she even stand? Her spiritual powers should still be at full capacity since she had not bothered to use them during the fight, but it felt like she’d been using them the whole time. She finally mustered up enough power to be able to stand as Kagome approached her.

“You little fake bitch!” Kikyo spat as she frantically searched for energy to attack.

Kagome grabbed Kikyo by the throat and lifted her into the air as she shook her head softly, “Ah ah ah… I wouldn’t insult someone from so… precarious… a position.”

“Who… do you… think you… a-are, stupid… rein-c-carnation?” Kikyo managed to squeeze out as she choked.

Kagome slammed Kikyo by her throat into the floor with enough force to put cracks in it.

Leaning close to Kikyo’s ear as Kikyo had done to her earlier and whispered harshly, “I am Kagome Higurashi, not your reincarnation. I was a fool for ever allowing myself to be defined by such a weak person.”

Suddenly Kagome let go of Kikyo and walked away, looking towards the audience. Kikyo coughed and choked as she attempted to get onto her hands and knees.

“I am the winner of this fight. Would anyone deny this?” Kagome said, addressing the audience with a challenging stare.

All was completely silent. Looking around, Kagome saw no protest in their faces. When her eyes met Sesshomaru’s, she felt empowered by the spark of pride she saw there.

“I’ll still have Inuyasha” Kikyo said from her knees with a deranged chuckle.

“I’ll keep him, corrupt him and take him to hell with me. I will make him curse you with his last breath. You will never see him happy again if it is the last thing I do” Kikyo ground out with a sick smile on her face.

In a flash Kagome had her katana at Kikyo’s throat.

“You won’t kill me… You’re too sweet for that” Kikyo mocked.

Kagome pulled the katana away from Kikyo’s throat, allowing her one smug smile before she drove it through her stomach.

“You are going to die because you greatly underestimated three things. One: my will. Two: my skills. And three: me. I would do anything for the people I love. Unfortunately for you, that includes Inuyasha, no matter how pig-headed he can be.” Kagome said in a clear voice.

Pulling her katana out of of Kikyo, she noticed that it was not blood that poured out of her wounds, but ash.

“However, I am not cruel. I will not let you die in hate a second time.” Kagome said as she laid Kikyo down.

Kagome focused on concentrating her power into her hands and they began to glow blindingly bright. She began to pass them over Kikyo’s body, starting at her feet. The places she touched were reduced to a mixture of dirt and ash. Kagome watched as the person that had been the main source of her inferiority complex was diminished by her own hands. When the process was complete, Kagome saw a tiny sliver of white rise from the ashes, before dissipating into the air.

‘Thank you’ Kagome heard in her head. It had been Kikyo’s voice, but softer and kinder, not hardened by the cruelties of a sad fate. Kagome thought that that must have been what Kikyo sounded like when she and Inuyasha were in love.

Standing up, Kagome felt as if a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.

~General POV~

The audience was a buzz of whispers as Kagome stood up. Word would definitely spread that the new Lady of the West was not only very strong and beautiful, but merciful as well. Sesshomaru raised his hand and a hush fell over the crowd immediately.

“My mate is the winner of this challenge. You have all beared witness to the strength of the House of the West, know that any who challenge this will meet the same end. You are dismissed” he said this with an unreadable expression and a dispassionate wave of his hand.

Everybody hurried to leave and return to their original chores. One man, however, remained where he was.

Inuyasha sat on his knees, stone faced, eyes filled with unshed tears. A lifetime of hating and grieving his lost love had taken its toll on him. His history of love was tragic and full of mistakes, yet he had always had hope. Now Kagome was mated and Kikyo was gone for good… What did he have left? Sango and Miroku were going to leave soon as well to start their own family, so soon he would be left alone again.

One by one the tears began to spill over.

All his life he was alone. Was that his fate? If it was, he cursed the fates a thousand times over. It was not his fault that his parents were different. It wasn’t his goddamn fault he was a hanyou. Yet the whole world treated him like it was.

He had found happiness in Kikyo, a peace he had never known before. Then it was ripped away from him and turned to a bitter hell.

He found trust in Kagome, something no one else had given him. Then he had messed it all up once more.

He had found friendship in his own little pack, but they were all happy without him. They would find their own happiness and he would be left with nothing.

Was he so bad?

Was he so goddamn bad that he didn’t deserve the slightest bit of the happiness that everyone else seemed to have an abundance of?

IT JUST WASN’T FAIR!

Inuyasha’s soul cried out, an agonizing plea for any small comfort, springing out from the deep scars of his heart. Open wounds made from the cruel whip of undeserved hatred.

~Kagome’s POV~

She watched as her friend cried so painfully, and her heart broke. It was true that though she had endured many slights at the hands of Inuyasha’s callousness, but now she felt foolish. She had left him for reasons that seemed so right at the time. She should have realized how much her desertion of the pack would affect her hanyou who had already suffered so much rejection for simply being alive.

Walking to her once-love, she put her arms around him and held him to her chest like a child. At the feel of her arms he began to break down further.

“Don’t l- leave me” he choked out, “Pl-please don’t leave me all alone.”

With a small kiss to each tear stained cheek, Kagome said, in a voice thick with emotion, “I’ll never let you be alone ever again. Even though our love didn’t work out, I swear you will be happy again.”

She held him as he cried years worth of pain in the safety of her embrace.

~Sesshomaru’s POV~

When his brother started to cry, Sesshomaru was shocked. He had always thought Inuyasha was too stubborn to take to heart the things that were done to him. After all, he had survived from childhood to this point with no help from anyone. In that regard Sesshomaru had always held a small shred of grudging respect for the half-breed. He had survived despite the whole world fighting his every step.

It was slightly uncomfortable for Sesshomaru to see the effects of such a lifestyle first hand. His Beast urged him to take care of his pack, but he ignored it as he had always done. It wasn’t until he saw his mate comforting his brother that he decided to move.

When he got closer, he felt the painful pull of his instincts. As Alpha, he was expected to offer solace to his pack. While he had never considered Inuyasha pack before, the ties of blood mixed with the harrowing cry of his brother’s soul were enough to demand his attention.

Placing a hand on the hanyou’s head he said, “Raise your head and wipe your tears. I will not have someone of my House reduced to such a state. You will stay here until you learn that even a half-breed like you need not be subjected to the ridicule of others. I have let you run free for far too long. It appears that you have forgotten whose blood runs through your veins. You are not a full blooded youkai, however, you are also not scum off of the streets. You will live in this castle and find a way to be useful to the Western Lands. Doing so, you will learn to command the respect of others.”

Inuyasha, who had tensed up at his touch, was now staring open-mouthed at him. Sesshomaru sighed. Well it was to be expected, since his brother had never heard anything but insults from his mouth. He snapped his fingers and two servants seemed to materialize out of thin air.

“Kei, prepare a room” Sesshomaru left and one of the servants, a small, stern looking woman, quickly disappeared.

“Tsutomu, you are now to attend to Inuyasha. Disobedience is not to be tolerated” Sesshomaru said and the other servant, a tall man with kind eyes, bowed to Sesshomaru and carefully extracted the hanyou from Kagome’s embrace.

“Inuyasha-sama, I am to serve you for the duration of your time. If you have need of anything, I will be sure to take care of it” Tsutomu said as he walked a dazed Inuyasha out of the arena area.

Sesshomaru turned to see Kagome gaping at him. He arched an eyebrow in question.

“I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done for him” Kagome said in a small voice.

“It’s the only thing I have ever done for him” Sesshomaru replied, closing his eyes.

Suddenly he felt lips crashing against his, the warm clean scent of his mate wrapped around him.He felt her tongue tentatively sweep his lips in question. He responded by pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. The familiar taste and feel of her lips was like coming home.

“If this is my reward, I think I should not mind doing more in the future” he said with a slight chuckle.

“He needs you. You may hate each other, but you are family. He has always wanted your respect and approval as his big brother, and I think it’s time you started acting more like one” she said seriously.

“I cannot change the past” he said stubbornly.

“But you can change the future” she replied with a small kiss to his nose.

“You do not fight fair little one” he said with a smirk.

“Never said I did” she said with a playful gleam in her eyes.

Stepping out of his arms, Kagome’s gaze turned sultry.

“You know… all good doggies get rewards. And you have been a very. Good. Doggy.” Kagome said, moving her hands farther down Sesshomaru’s body with each word.

Sesshomaru’s eyes flashed red in anticipation at the promise in her voice. He had been denied the pleasures of his mate for far too long today and would not be delayed further. Scooping Kagome up bridal style, Sesshomaru raced to their bedroom, a whirlwind of silver, black and laughter.


	7. Good Doggy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see I finally gave up on those POV switches...

Sesshomaru did not know what to do. One minute he was running to their room with the smell of her anticipation wrapped around him, then all of a sudden the salty smell of tears had him frozen before their door. There was seemingly no cause for her tears, yet as he let her down from his arms, they continued to fall.

“What is troubling you, little one? Why do you weep?” he asked, confusion and worry deep in the tones of his voice.

Kagome blinked in surprise.

“I… I don’t know…” she said, lifting a hand to touch the fading wetness of a fallen tear, “I feel weird, but I’m not sad. I guess it just hit me that I don’t know what to do anymore. I spent so much of my time chasing after Inuyasha and getting hurt by Kikyo that I never really realized what it means to just… be.”

Licking away a droplet in a soothing manner, Sesshomaru realized once again that, though she had the body of a woman, the girl before him was just that: A girl, a child compared to him. It made him appreciate what she did today all the more; He truly did have an amazing mate.

Lifting her eyes to his with a gentle hand he said, “You must find new reasons to live then.”

Sesshomaru could still feel the uncertainty in her aura. Taking her hand in his, le laid it on his chest. The steady beat of his youkai heart reverberated through her fingertips, seeming to reach her own heart.

“You came into my world as a beautiful distraction, however it seems as if you have become my world and the rest is the distraction. This heart that has not beaten for anyone but me in almost two thousand years, beats only for you now” Sesshomaru said in a serious tone, holding her eyes of ocean blue with the warm sun of his own.

Kagome was sure in that moment that she would never love another as she loved the man before her now. The gravity of his confession erased her doubt and comforted her soul. Before she realized what she was doing, she was already kissing him. At first Sesshomaru froze in surprise, allowing Kagome an opportunity to slip her tongue past his lips for a taste, but soon Sesshomaru was back to dominating the kiss. Kagome pulled at his hair in her desperation to get more of something. Sesshomaru groaned at the slight tingle, his beast growling in approval, and pushed her up against the wall.

Kagome used her position against the wall as leverage and wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her core to his quickly growing erection. Sesshomaru’s eyes started to bleed red when he felt the heat against him and his claws made quick work of her clothing. Kagome gasped at the rough treatment, but an unexplored part of her mind told her that this is what she had been hungry for; this is what she had needed; to stop being treated as if she was made of glass and experience the raw fulfillment of desire.

Digging her claws into his back she growled and took his lower lip between her teeth. That proved to be the final straw for Sesshomaru because at that, he grabbed her by her hips and held her up against him as he entered the room. Kagome took this chance to trail small nips and licks on the underside of his jaw and down his neck. Slamming the door closed with his foot, Sesshomaru stalked over to the bed, where he threw Kagome down and kneeled over her.

“Are you sure you are not part kitsune?” he asked with a smirk, “Because you seem to be quite skilled in seducing me, sly vixen.”

Placing a hand on his cheek, Kagome leaned up and whispered, “You haven’t seen anything yet” before placing a teasing kiss on his lips.

Then, in a sudden move, Kagome flipped their positions so that she was straddling his hips. Sesshomaru’s beast snarled at the submissive position, but the rational part of him realized that this position had its possibilities; such as a perfect view of the beauty atop him.

Her back was arched lightly, presenting her full breasts and dusky pink nipples in the most wonderful way. Following the flat plane of her torso he delighted in the sight of the little black curls at the apex of her delicious thighs. Lust burned through him as his eyes took in her tempting body. Perhaps ethereal was a more appropriate word though as she smiled down to him, fangs peeking out behind rose petal lips. Her midnight hair trapped the moonlight in its tresses and tangled, beautiful and wild. Her eyes were almost black in the low light, but they seemed to glow with love and desire. The silver stripes adorning each flushed cheek were iridescent and smooth, only serving to further pronounce her otherworldly features. How he or any other had ever written this heavenly creature off as plain before was a mystery to him.

‘However, now that she is mine, this hidden treasure, this secret goddess will forever be for my eyes alone’ Sesshomaru thought, his eyes resting on the crescent moon on her forehead.

“I think” she started, drawing his attention back to her, “that you” she paused to open his haori at the top, “are wearing entirely too much right now.”

Kagome decided that the next part would probably work better if he was standing, so she slowly backed off of him. Taking hold of his obi, she tugged lightly, indicating that she wanted him to rise. Letting her lead for now, Sesshomaru did as he was told and stood looking down at her.

At that moment Kagome wanted nothing more than to have him on top of her, loving her, as no other could. The way his heated eyes held hers made her want to let him have his way, because she knew she would enjoy it if she did. However, she was on a mission, so it would have to wait. She untied his obi with confident hands and practically ripped his clothes off of him. Now only in his hakama, Sesshomaru’s arousal was painfully clear. Kagome loved it. With her heightened sense of smell, she could tell that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. His desire was a wonderful scent of pure masculinity that made her want to curl up and bury her head into his neck to keep breathing it in.

However, that was not the most impressive thing about her mate by far. To the unobservant eye, Sesshomaru had a distinctly feminine look despite being quite tall, from his soft features to his slender form. But once the clothes came off, the truth came out. He was built to perfection, from his sculpted muscles to his defined facial features. ‘Not to mention he has a rather large piece of evidence that he’s male’ Kagome thought with an internal giggle.

Focusing back on the task at hand, Kagome took a few moments to enjoy the contours of his upper body. She kissed around his collar bone as her hands trailed lightly down his chest. She loved the way the tight muscles jumped beneath his skin at her touch. Lowering her mouth to one of his pale nipples she licked roughly, drawing a low growl from the Daiyoukai’s throat. Kagome was pleased that she could make the normally impassive demon lord so vocal with her attentions. She continued her downward path, lightly kissing every rise and dip of his abdomen, as she slowly lowered herself to her knees.

“Remember when I said all good doggies get rewards?” she asked, looking up at him with a sly half smile.

Then with no hesitation she untied and pulled down his hakama, freeing his manhood from its confines. Sesshomaru hissed at the chill of the air against his heated flesh. Kagome eyed the large erection in front of her in challenge. She had never before done what she was about to do, but like any teenager, she had heard stories. One time she had even asked her friend Eri about it, who had proceeded to give some detailed and seemingly unnecessary advice. However right about now she was intensely grateful for that awkward encounter. With a little uncertainty, she reached forward wrapping both hands around the base of his manhood. Looking up at him, she saw that Sesshomaru seemed confused as to what she was doing. ‘Did they not have blow jobs in the feudal era? Then again I doubt they would’ve put THAT in the history books...’ Kagome thought idly as a distraction. But the thought that he might not have experienced what she was about to do was thrilling to her.

Holding his gaze, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his erection in a reverent kiss. She delighted in the surprised hiss she drew from his lips.

Sesshomaru was truly shocked for one of the very few times in his long life. His miko had her beautiful mouth wrapped around the head of his member in a way that no other had ever attempted. No female had ever done this for him, because he never allowed them as much. He had always thought of sex in a clinical manner, a means to an end. It was a way to sate his beast during heats and nothing more. With Kagome, he wanted to give pleasure to his partner and was inwardly pleased when she expressed desire to do the same. Her tongue peeked out from behind her lips and gave a tentative lick. The warmth of her tongue and the tingling coolness of the night air when she left him was torture to the Daiyoukai, but he remained still for fear of scaring her off.

Her tongue swirled around the tip of his manhood, paying special attention to the slit, before taking his member deeper into her mouth. The warmth of her mouth was almost too much to bear, but the sight of his mate as she brought him pleasure was even more so. His beast was lurking dangerously close to the surface as she continued to take him in her mouth. When she could go no further, she gagged slightly causing her throat to contract around the tip of his cock. At the sensation, he couldn’t help the low groan that escaped his mouth. He was not the most vocal during coupling, or really at all, but Kagome seemed to disprove that at every turn. At the sudden noise, Kagome’s eyes flicked up to his own and what she saw stole her breath. His eyes were full of passion, the intense heat of desire; it was a look so full of want that it lit a fire deep within her. But more importantly, behind the inferno of his gaze there was a smaller flame; not the raging brightness of lust, it was a warmer, softer glow like that of a candle. Kagome recognized it as love. Sesshomaru might not say much, but he was expressive without words. Kagome did not realize how much that meant to her. He did not say he loved her in a lavish manner, quoting poetry and likening her to the beauty of a flower. Instead, he showed her his love in every warm caress and lingering glance; which was worth a hundred- thousand times more to Kagome than any cheap words.

After a moment of simply gazing into each other’s eyes, Sesshomaru decided that he had had enough with all of the teasing. He pulled her into his arms where he gave Kagome the kiss of her life. The long, languid strokes of his tongue combined with his now wandering hands were enough to make her head spin with an intoxicating mix of mental and physical sensation. He rolled her onto the bed, leaning over her while keeping every contour of their bodies in contact.

Everything was right.

Every breath.

Every heartbeat.

Every touch.

Every kiss.

It was home. For a broken man who never loved, and a woman who loved until she broke.

After she had been prepared by his tongue and fingers, Kagome was beyond ready. She was writhing and moaning softly and sweetly beneath him after her release. He took in the sight of her reddened cheeks, her eyes darkened with pleasure, the wisps of hair clinging to her face as sweat began beading along her forehead, and he thought that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. As he pushed himself gently into her, he felt at peace. It was a feeling that was foreign to him until recently, yet he now hungered for it as a starved man. Using long, slow strokes he began to worship Kagome’s body. Leaning over her, he took a dark pink nipple into his mouth and sucked gently, flicking the tip with his tongue. Kagome arched at his touch, pushing her breast further into his mouth. Not wanting to leave her wanting, he reached up a hand to her other breast and gave a sharp pinch to the hardened bud. Kagome cried out and bucked her hips, causing Sesshomaru to suddenly plunge all the way into her heat. Wanting more of that incredible friction and fullness, Kagome bucked her hips once more. Sesshomaru grabbed her by the waist and forced her to be still.

Looking into her eyes he smirked, “Eager are we?”

Kagome wriggled and tried to escape his hold, “Se- Sess,” she whined.

“Yes my lovely mate?” he asked sweetly, all the while keeping still within her, “Is there something you would like?”

She blushed all the way to her roots, “Sesshomaru, you know what I- what I want”

“Oh?” he asked, tracing a claw lightly down the length of her body, “I am quite certain I do not”

Kagome was now frustrated and shivering with want from his light teasing, “Sess, move damn it!” she finally snapped.

“ As you com-mand” he growled, punctuating his sentence with a thrust of bruising force.

Sesshomaru snarled in pleasure as Kagome clenched down violently from the sudden movement. Her warm, wet walls were gripping him like a vice, and he never wanted her to let go. Kagome’s eyes were practically rolled to the back of her head as he continued to pound into her with brutal force. If she had not been mated with Sesshomaru this would undoubtedly not only hurt, but be dangerous. However, with the power of her mate flowing through her, there was almost no pain. Actually, it was such that the small bite of pain she did feel only added a new height to the blinding pleasure she was receiving. She gasped as Sesshomaru’s soft, silver pubic hairs brushed against her clit. That tickling feeling coupled with the intense friction of his thrusts was quickly bringing her to her end. Their bodies were entwined in a dance as old as time, writhing almost violently. The beauty of giving and receiving pleasure encased their minds.

Kagomes body began to glow a soft pink, her aura flickering around the two lovers, calling out to Sesshomaru’s. Everywhere the pink haze touched Sesshomaru, a green flame erupted. Sesshomaru’s aura responded to Kagome’s, clashing and melding together with it. Their auras mixing brought Sesshomaru and Kagome to a place beyond physical pleasure. There was a mental peace of belonging that resonated through their souls. Kagomes silver markings lit up as she began to lose herself in the flurry of sensations.

Sesshomaru began to move faster, feeling that Kagome was close.

It was a just a moment. Looking back they would both realize that it all started from this one brilliant snippet of time.

Stars.

All she could see were stars.

It was beautiful.

When Sesshomaru bent down to give her another heated kiss, it was the last straw.

Kagome was blinded with white as she came, Sesshomaru’s name on her lips.

The feeling of her nails raking down his back as her inner walls tightened to the point of pain, combined with the sound of her screaming his name forced Sesshomaru to lose control.

With glowing red eyes and a vicious snarl, Sesshomaru came as well.

They laid in each other’s embrace as they descended from their high, basking in the afterglow of their love.

“Well that was…” Kagome started before trailing off.

“I agree” Sesshomaru replied with a smirk to rival the devil, “I quite enjoyed this ‘reward.”

“ If you don’t stop looking so smug, It will be the last for a good while” she laughed.

“Would you deny yourself,” he ground into her, “this pleasure?”

Kagome looked at him with a completely straight face, seemingly unaffected, which caused Sesshomaru to gape confusedly. It was a look that was such a far cry from the arrogance and indifference that usually graced his face, that Kagome barely succeeded in hiding her laughter.

Lifting her index finger, she traced his lips. His attention was on her in an instant as she brought the same finger to her own lips. Gently her mouth came down onto the tip, kissing lightly before sucking the whole thing in. She sucked on it a few times, pulling it out and flicking her tongue against the tip, all the while looking up at him. Releasing the digit with a slight pop, she began to lightly scrape her nail down his chest.

Leaning in, she whispered in a husky voice, “The real question…”

Laying a heated kiss on one of his elfin ears, the soft puff of her words gave him a slight chill, “is would you?”

He looked at her with heat and question in his eyes. Who was this seductive creature? Her bright blue eyes were shining with mirth at having beaten him at his own game. He had to let out a quiet chuckle. The control he prided himself on to the point of arrogance completely evaporated around her.

Kagome snuggled close to his chest at her favorite sound.

“I love your laugh” she sighed.

“And I yours” he replied with a kiss to the top of her head.

Kagome couldn’t help the yawn that escaped her.

“Sleep mate” he said, holding her more tightly to him.

Safe in his warmth she drifted off to the sweetest sleep she had known in a long while. That night it was as if the gods themselves favored the lovers, guarding their rest from the worries of the world.

They did not know that a darkness blacker than death would soon be upon them, as well as a joy brighter than the heavens. For as with every truly great love, happiness only blooms in the light of tragedy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think this was a lemon that added anything to the plot. If I were to edit this in the future, do you think I should take it out?


	8. Get Tested

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, this was where I lost all of my momentum.

Inuyasha was sleeping soundly for the first time in a long while before he felt the presence in his room. Keeping his breathing steady and his body still he feigned sleep. Then in a move so fast even Sesshomaru would be impressed, he had his sword in his hands, fully transformed and held to the throat of the intruder.

 

What he DIDN'T expect was the unflinching kind eyes of a servant staring back at him. In his half-awake mind Inuyasha could not remember his name. 'Take- tsuke or something like that' almost reluctantly, he withdrew his sword from the older man's throat.

 

"Whaddaya want" he snarled, because after realizing that there was no real danger, he was upset that he'd been woken.

 

"Lord Sesshomaru has instructed me to lead you to the training grounds this morning" the man replied with a slight bow.

 

"What for?" The hanyou asked suspiciously.

 

"I'm sure it will be clear once you arrive, so if you would follow me Lord Inuyasha" he said gesturing to the doors.

 

Inuyasha was taken aback with the way he was being addressed. He was so used to the hostility from others that he was slightly embarrassed at the man calling him Lord.

 

"Keh- whatever" he said with a slight blush painting his cheeks.

 

Without another word, the soft spoken servant left the room. Inuyasha was lead down a series of hallways until they reached a large courtyard. Inuyasha was distracted by the opulence of the palace around him. Everything from the enormous walls to the well groomed grasses screamed expense and meticulousness.

 

There was a pang in Inuyasha's chest when he thought about how it could have all been his. But if he had learned anything from years on his own, it was that self-pity got you nowhere. Also that you can't change the past so there's no use bitchin' about it.

 

After a second, Inuyasha noticed that the servant man was not with him any longer.

"'Follow me' my ass" he grumbled as he looked around.

 

It was empty, which led Inuyasha to wonder why the guy would drag him out of bed just to leave him here. His sense of paranoia kicking in, he put his hand to his sword and extended his senses to the surrounding area. There was only complete silence.

 

But that's what worried him.

 

All of a sudden an arrow lodged itself directly in between his feet. He jumped back and narrowed his eyes at where he knew the arrow came from but could not see anything.

 

"Ya gonna come out and face me for real, or hide behind a wall like coward ya bastard?" Inuyasha yelled to his unknown opponent.

 

He knew it was too good to be true. There was no way his brother would blow off years of hatred just like that. No. He had probably had Inuyasha brought here to be assassinated quietly and get rid of him forever. 'Well too bad ya bastard, I ain't goin down without a fight' he thought as he drew his transformed sword.

 

A blur shot out from behind Inuyasha to strike him, but he was quick to block. He used the momentum from his opponents blow to knock him off balance. Then Inuyasha struck out with his claws to wound the man, but he danced quickly out of reach, leaving a small slash across Inuyasha’s cheek and midsection as he moved away.

 

‘Shit” Inuyasha thought, wiping the blood off of his cheek with the back of his hands, ‘this guy is good’.

 

Gripping his sword more comfortably, he relaxed his mind and heightened his senses. His opponent was hiding their aura, but they couldn’t hide their heartbeat. Focusing on the steady beat he waited.

 

Then he heard it.

 

It was just a stutter, an almost imperceptible quickening, but it was enough.

 

Inuyasha’s eyes flashed open and his sword raised just in time to block the strike of his opponents sword. The force of the two swords clashing caused the ground around them to deteriorate and Inuyasha got a good look at his opponent for the first time.

 

And laughed.

 

Holding a gleaming katana in each hand against the bulk of Inuyasha’s sword, was a little girl.

 

She was a little slip of a thing, barely above his waist by his judgment. She had striking gold hair and skin like the soft brown of a deer’s pelt. Had it not been for her severe black eyes, she would have been cute. However, the fact that a mere child was making him use his full strength was completely humiliating.

 

Suddenly she leaped back and began to study him. He held his defense, worried she might strike again. He was confident that he would live, but her speed could pose a big problem. He was so alert, that when she spoke, he almost disgraced himself by flinching.

 

“You fight well hanyou, there are not many, alive or dead, who could stay my sword” the girl said, sheathing her katana as she spoke. Her voice was soft, belying the strength he felt in her attacks.

 

“Keh,” he scoffed, still glancing at her sword, “as if I would lose to a kid...”

 

He sounded confident, but his aura was flaring. A silence fell as she studied him. Her pupils were so large that they seemed to consume her entire eye. Inuyasha was quickly growing uncomfortable under her gaze and suddenly felt awkward about having his sword drawn.

 

“You are ignorant” she stated simply.

 

“What the FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME?” he yelled, turning red from embarrassment and anger, raising his sword again.

 

“But you have passion and raw ability. I can see now why my Lord requested you be trained. Get your wounds attended to, from this day forth, you will report to me at dawn on these training grounds. We have much work to do if you are to be of any use to the West” she said in a calculating tone, leaving no room for argument as she walked away.

 

Inuyasha was in total shock. ‘How could she or anybody walk away from a fight so easily? Also… what wounds?’ he thought to himself. He hadn’t felt any damage during the fight besides the few small cuts she had given him. Looking down at his side, where he knew one of those cuts to be, he almost yelped. There was a massive amount of blood staining his fire rat robe; too much for it to have been from that tiny slash alone. He cursed as his fingers flew to his cheek where the other cut was, and found that the cut itself was indeed small, but it wasn’t healing at all. If he did not get his wounds taken care of, he would probably die of blood loss. ‘Why didn’t I feel this? Did I really get killed by a chibi- brat?’ were Inuyasha’s last thoughts before his vision got fuzzy. Before he fell unconscious, however, he caught a glimpse of pale blue hair.

 

o~0~o~0~o

Somebody was humming.

 

It was a soothing sound.

 

It reminded him of the years before his mother’s death, when she would sing him softly to sleep.

 

His ears twitched as he strained to hear the quiet song, but as soon as he moved it stopped.

 

~Woman’s POV~

 

She had heard of him before, heard tales of the hanyou son of the late Inutaisho, half-brother of Lord Sesshomaru. However she did not expect him to be so beautiful…

 

~Earlier~

 

“Shizuko! Prepare your medical station; you will have a new arrival soon” an armor clad youkai barked.

 

Shizuko nodded her assent, but wondered why. They were not in war time right now, so the only patients she was seeing currently were the two boys that caught demon pox and a pregnant inu youkai lady. Demons rarely got sick, and injuries would heal before she got the chance to look at them. Mostly, she dealt with poisons and curses. As she prepped her work table, she thought about who she would see today.

 

A little while later, a group of soldiers walked in.

 

“Think he’ll survive?” one asked jokingly.

 

“Only if he’s lucky” another replied, encouraging laughs from his companions.

 

‘Who is “he”?’ she thought. The soldiers paid no attention to her and continued talking.

 

“I can’t believe Lord Sesshomaru wasted Masa-sama’s time like that, did he really think the half-breed could keep up?” the first one said.

 

“Or maybe he thought that this was a chance to kill him without incurring Lady Kagome’s wrath” the other proposed.

 

“Masa-sama is fighting a hanyou?!” Shizuko couldn’t help blurting out, “But he can’t possibly survive!”

 

The group of soldiers turned as if noticing her for the first time. A cruel sneer twisted his lips as the leader of the group realized who it was.

 

“Do you think you can address me so casually, human?” he spit, the last word becoming an insult.

 

Shizuko flinched and quickly shook her head no, hiding her eyes behind a fringe of bangs. The soldiers simply left with disgusted expressions as her mind reeled.

 

Masa-sama is the pillar of the West, second only to Sesshomaru-sama in skill with the sword. Despite her small size she is actually even older than the late Inutaisho! So why would Sesshomaru put his weaker brother against her in a fight? Unless he truly wanted him to die…

 

‘No! I can’t think about that, he needs help!’

 

Running out to the courtyard, she saw two figures standing across from each other.

 

One was the unmistakable tiny figure of Masa-sama, and the other was foreign to her.

 

All of a sudden, Masa-sama walked away from the figure that had raised his sword.

 

Shizuko hesitantly began to walk towards the cursing figure, when out of nowhere he began to fall.

 

She ran to him just as he hit the ground and realized what had happened. Masa-sama was a breed of dragon youkai thought to be extinct. One of the most interesting parts of the species was their venom; it had the ability to halt the healing process by stopping the coagulating properties of their victim’s blood. Unless you happen to be a Daiyoukai, it is impossible to heal from without the antidote. Masa-sama coats all of her blades in her venom, and looking at him she could count at least three cuts.

 

She struggled to drag him to her Medical station as her mind set into motion. Lifting the heavy hanyou onto the table was extremely difficult, but she was focused on her task. Having situated him on the table, she flitted around the room grabbing different dried herbs off of various shelves. Placing the leaves in a bowl, she quickly ground them to powder with a large stone. Then she reached for a bottle that was stored in a dusty corner filled with bottles and bundles of rare oddities.

 

It was the golden color of ichor and it swirled as if stirred by liquid wind. This was the venom of the fabled immortal Golden Dragons. It was Masa-sama’s venom.

 

It was the key to his survival.

 

Diluting a drop of venom in a tub of water, she took a single drop of the new mixture and added into the dry powder. Immediately the mixture turned into a thick liquid. She put in two drips of honey for texture and ease of taste out of habit before she rushed to his side. Lifting his head, she gave him three mouthfuls of the mixture and applied the rest directly to his wounds.

 

He remained asleep, but almost immediately some color returned to his face. Shizuko let out a sigh of relief.

 

He would live.

 

Looking down at the face of the man she saved, she felt a sense of longing. He was truly a beautiful sight to behold. His silvery white hair was spread around him, reflecting the light and casting a glow over his sleeping face. His eyelashes were long and his lips were full; if he did not have such a strong jawline he could almost be mistaken for a girl.

 

‘Even a male is prettier than me, go figure’ she thought bitterly as she looked at herself in the mirror over the wash basin.

 

What she saw made her cringe.

 

Overly long bangs, stemming from a mop of messily braided sky blue hair, hid foggy grey eyes, deep set in the hopelessly pale white of her face. Two stripes of the lightest green adorned each cheek, only serving to highlight her inadequacy. The markings of a noble inu mocked her as she traced them with hateful fingers.

 

Dragging her eyes away from her shameful face she looked at her body. She was small and thin, the body of a child. This was because she rarely got enough food. Not that she was complaining. The western palace was a million times better than the village she grew up in, where they would only give her the scraps and peelings of their meals. At least here she had her own room and at least one hot meal a day.

 

Shaking her head to dispel the memories of her village, she turned back to the hanyou.

 

He looked so peaceful that she couldn’t resist stroking his hair. When he smiled softly in his sleep she blushed. What was she doing?! A person of her status touching him, even looking at him, that was unforgivable! But as she took in his sleeping form, she felt at peace as well. She began to hum softly as she smoothed down his hair, hoping to keep this one small moment.

 

When his ears twitched, she immediately stilled. What would he think!? She had just been taking advantage of his vulnerability, and now he would be disgusted by her and never want to see her again.

 

Not that she deserved to be seen.

 

As she watched his eyes begin to open, icy fear gripped her spine.

 

~At Present~

 

The lack of sound drew Inuyasha from his sleeping state. The first thing that met his eyes was the frightened gaze of a girl. Her large grey eyes looked as if a storm was trapped within them. He was stunned. Not only was he alive, but he was being taken care of by a beautiful girl.

 

As quickly as she had made eye contact, she looked away. Springing up, she quickly bowed deeply to him.

 

“F- Forgive me for having the audacity to touch your person-- no for even looking you in the eye” she said softly, the acrid scent of fear tainting the air.

 

“Wo- Woah” Inuyasha said, mind spinning from the sudden mood shift, “you’re fine so get up… ya ain’t got anythin’ to apologize for. Anyways what’s your name?”

 

“Shizuko” she quietly answered.

 

“Shizuko,” he repeated, “nice, well I’m Inuyasha. Are you the one that healed me?”

 

“Yes, Lord Inuyasha” she replied.

 

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, he cleared his throat and looked away.

 

“Thanks then, and -ah- you ain’t gotta call me ‘Lord’ or anythin’ like that, ‘cause I’m really not. Just Inuyasha’s fine” he said, a light pink blush dusting his cheeks.

 

“You are welcome Lor-- Inuyasha” Shizuko replied, her face bright red, “well if you’ll please excuse me...”

 

Without waiting for a response, Shizuko ran out of the room in embarrassment.

 

Inuyasha was at a loss again.

 

Putting aside what had just happened in his mind, he thought about Sesshomaru. He was going to have to see him and demand an explanation for the fucking death match he just had in the courtyard.

 

Springing up from the table he was on, he winced. His wounds were still tender, but whatever the Shizuko girl had put on them was definitely doing the trick. Now that he had gotten past the shock of almost dying, he was pissed as hell! How could that asshole do that? Even for him it was low; dangle acceptance in front of him, only to yank it back.

 

‘Well we’ll fucking see about that’ Inuyasha thought with rage as he grabbed his sword from where it was leaning against the wall.

 

Following the scent of his brother, he went down a series of hallways in the castle. The farther he went, the madder he got, until all he could only think about his brother’s scent and the thought of fighting him. The servants who saw him were worried, but did nothing because they had been ordered to leave him be. Inuyasha finally reached the large double doors of his brother’s chambers. Without hesitation he burst through them, only to stop short.

 

There, in the middle of the bed were Kagome and Sesshomaru...

 

doing IT.

 

Inuyasha couldn’t move. He was rooted to the spot as Sesshomaru was thrusting into a moaning Kagome.

 

Until she saw him.

 

The scream that pierced the air was likely heard across the world.

 

It was most certainly heard by the occupants of the room, even Sesshomaru wincing from the noise.

 

“INUYASHA, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!!!!” yelled a bright red Kagome, as she pulled the bedding around her to shield her body.

 

“SIT! YOU MORONIC DOG! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU! SIT!SIT!SIT!SIT!SIT!SIT!SIIIIIIT!” Inuyasha was at the center of his own personal crater.

 

Meanwhile Sesshomaru looked a little too nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

 

Spinning her burning gaze to him she practically spit fire, “You knew he was there didn’t you! There’s no way you couldn’t have known. You just wanted to look all superior didn’t you, asshole? Well you can just count me out of your little testosterone game mister. Now will the both of you get the FUCK OUT OF HERE!”

Sesshomaru was floored as he quickly exited the room together with a limping Inuyasha. He had no idea she would be this upset. It was true that he intentionally let Inuyasha walk in on them, but it was to prove that she was his and not Inuyasha’s. Looking back he realized his mistake. He should have realized that she would not have the same instinct as a youkai female, who would have felt the same possessive urge in the presence of another. He mentally sighed as he was left nude in the hallway with his half- brother who was still in shock.

 

“Close your mouth, you look foolish” Sesshomaru said to the stunned hanyou.

 

"Oh Kami...Oh FUCK!" Inuyasha began.

 

"At least you are not blind” Sesshomaru said with impassive sarcasm.

 

“I just walked in on you guys doing… THAT, and now you’re making fucking JOKES?” Inuyasha spluttered.

 

“Exactly those” Sesshomaru smirked.

 

“OHMYKAMI! Is this hell? Am I actually dead?” Inuyasha exploded, completely weirded out by this new Sesshomaru.

 

Sesshomaru took pity on the boy and changed the subject, “So I presume you came barging into this Sesshomaru’s chambers for a reason?”

 

Inuyasha’s face stopped resembling a fish out of water for a moment as he suddenly remembered his reason for being there.

 

“Yeah, you’re damn right asshole! Why the hell did you send that chibi- brat to kill me?! I thought you were done with all that shit, but I guess that was just for fucking show" Inuyasha spat, the hurt behind the anger was clear.

 

"you are mistaken. Masa was assessing your abilities; she would not have killed you." Sesshomaru explained calmly.

 

"then why did I end up practically bleeding out, asshole?" Inuyasha returned.

 

“medical attention was prepared ahead of time in anticipation of such an event" Sesshomaru said.

 

His initial rage was now all but completely quelled.

 

"So... What now?" Inuyasha asked.

 

"now I will retrieve some clothing and go review Masa's report and compare it to my own experience with you. Once we have reached a reasonable consensus of your skills we will assign you a rank and position in the army, where you can improve your skills and raise your status. It will be your chance to gain the respect of the soldiers as well as the West" Sesshomaru answered.

 

Only just then did Inuyasha realize that his brother was having a normal conversation with him.... While absolutely naked.

Blushing profusely, Inuyasha muttered, "Keh, whatever."

 

Smirking, Sesshomaru stalked off, as confident as if he had been wearing the finest silk robes.

 

~Meanwhile~

 

Kagome was completely mortified. She wanted nothing more than to take the two inu brothers and knock their heads together.

 

‘Well it looks like someone is going to be in the doghouse for a while’ she thought, smiling deviously at her plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Shizuko seems really whiny and kind of creepy with a huge inferiority complex, but trust me there’s more to her. For Masa I just wanted a badass short woman to, well, be a badass (because I am short, so I’m living a dream)...
> 
> *I don't think Masa will play anything but a background role, but Shizuko will definitely appear again*


End file.
